An improved introduction to the Health Care Payment Learning & Action Network.
About
The Health Care Payment Learning & Action Network (HCPLAN or sometimes called the LAN for short), is a federally supported public-private partnership, launched by the CMS Innovation Center (CMMI). Through collaboration, data sharing, and strategic initiatives it works to accelerate the shift to value based payment models, where doctors and hospitals are paid based on how well they keep patients healthy, rather than how many services they perform.
As the Senior Designer, I led the end-to-end redesign of the HCPLAN website conducting project planning, user research, information architecture, wireframes, and visual designs to create a more intuitive, accessible, and mission-aligned user experience.
Worked with:
• Developer who built out and customized components in WordPress
• Content team who developed the copy
• Project Manager who oversaw the project
• Clients (Deloitte & CMS) who reviewed and provided iterative feedback
Tools Used:
THE CHALLENGE
The homepage explained who the HCPLAN was but didn’t help users understand what actions to take, what resources were available, or how to get involved.
The previous homepage was
• Vague about HCPLAN’s mission and initiatives
• Hard to navigate, especially for new visitors
• Disorganized, with key content buried or scattered
• Missing clear entry points for stakeholder engagement
• Visually outdated and no longer aligned
DISCOVERY
The discovery phase for this project consisted of two main parts:
1. Analyzing web data and users’ behavior on Google Analytics
In this first part pf the Discovery phase I used Google Analytics to understand the HCPLAN user’s behavior on the existing website. I also looked at the top visited pages and clickstream data to see the common path the users were taking through the website. Through the data I discovered the majority of HCPLAN users were:
• New users
• Viewing the site on a desktop during the middle of the week day
• Spending an average of 01:11 minutes on the website
• Leaving the site after the homepage and not continuing on (44K drop-offs from 59K sessions)
2. Gathering feedback from HCPLAN primary users
In the second part of the Discovery phase I obtained feedback from HCPLAN primary users who consisted of initiative members and key partners. They said the following about the HCPLAN site:
DEFINE
The insights gathered during the discovery phase from user behavior data and direct feedback helped define and scope the core problems and solutions for the homepage redesign.
ideate
After defining the core problems and possible solutions, I moved into one of my favorite parts of the process — the ideation phase.
The ideation phase is where I get to brainstorm with teammates, explore new ideas, and challenge assumptions in order to craft a design that truly supports users and improves the overall experience. Due to the scope of this project and focus on the homepage most of my efforts went into restructuring the existing content on the homepage and navigation menu in order to better suit the users' needs and expectations.
This involved extensive back and forth with client to relabel, and restructure the site's Information architecture. The new structure (pictured below) focused on reducing the number of clicks and improving transparency for users.
This phase included several iterations of wireframe and mockups. See one of many wireframes below with the core structure and content labeled.
The below mockup with annotations shows one iteration with edits for the client.
MY DESIGN
The mockup was then used by myself and the developer to build out the HCPLAN website in WordPress increasing transparency and usability for users; helping them navigate to desired content quickly.
NEXT STEPS
My next steps to continue improving the HCPLAN website would be to:
• Restructure the Resources page to serve as a comprehensive, easy-to-navigate hub for all relevant materials.
• Introduce audience-based navigation by segmenting user paths according to roles, such as payers, providers, or policymakers.
• Continue and expand user testing to refine key user flows and validate new design changes.
• Implement heatmapping tools to gather more detailed insights into user behavior on key pages.
• Introduce audience-based navigation by segmenting user paths according to roles, such as payers, providers, or policymakers.
• Continue and expand user testing to refine key user flows and validate new design changes.
• Implement heatmapping tools to gather more detailed insights into user behavior on key pages.
insights
