Design for Systems
Applying knowledge from basic visual literacy principles to user experience in healthcare and large enterprise, scalable design systems that also support brand needs. A rapid, automated migration of existing content from
83 sites on four separate platforms onto one shared platform.
One Design System to Rule All
Common Alpha
While working for Concentrix, I had an 18-month long client project for an enterprise hospital design system and replatform for Common Spirit / Dignity Health / Catholic Health Initiatives. The team that included stakeholders across three subsidiary companies via a steering committee, a 10 person design/product team, and 80 person development team located all over the world.
Operated as design lead with junior- and senior-level designers, which included creating an onboarding method to introduce them to the company, project goals and how we would work with tokens in Figma in order to create a single pattern library with multiple brand style guides utilizing the same page structure and developed components
Streamlined development of components and created consistency of usage and language across three main brands composited of dozens of hospitals
Ensured strict WCAG accessibility standards were met for the UX/UI library in the regulated space
70 Shared Components, One Structure
Above is one of the three distinct brand impressions that utilized the same design system ‘skeleton’
Because of the technical complexity of the project, which was handling three distinct brand styles over one web ‘skeleton’, I developed a series of humanized naming conventions for our digital patterns (to quickly identify and ensure clarity on what elements were being referenced across all teams) and design maxims which helped rule out inconsistencies in new designs as I onboarded additional designers over the course of the project.
Design: An Outcomes-Driven Process
Design at CommonSpirit begins when a business problem is identified. We work to gather insight that will illuminate the problem, envision solutions, and enable positive customer outcomes.
Worked with a global team of developers, project managers, and scrum masters ( 80+ ) utilizing an Agile work stream managed through Jira over the course of 11 or so months to develop the project from Figma through to QA testing and finally to Go-Live support for content authors on the client side
Served as the Concentrix design and user experience steward on the governance/steering committee to for the client stakeholders. Presented site designs, experiences, and thought processes on a bi-weekly schedule and captured and iterated based on their feedback
Prioritization & Impact Matrix
UI/UX Uplift & Content Audit
Goals in Common Alpha
A more consistent, user-focused website
Ability to efficiently and effectively create and manage key aspects of the user experience using common tools and a consistent workflow.
Prioritized content migration, based on engagement (relevance and resonance of content) and SEO value.
Minimized content duplication efforts by establishing a unified content model, which is a key aspect of content governance.
A lean, flexible set of responsive templates will allow authors to tailor pages to their content and marketing needs.
Core Page Layout Approach
Color (semantics), type, and scale are your biggest power plays.
The key here is the semantic or token-logic definition within the CommonAlpha design system. Our metaphor is that the typography and primary/secondary colors would be the major instrument through which each brand can emote their personality, producing the different ‘manifestations’ of brand over the same components.
Above, the token labeling system for the automated brand impression across the (ultimately) four brands utilizing the same skeleton
Limited Color Application
Similarly, being restricted in the brand personality arena to ONLY color and one typography family (one family across a handful of headline styles and even fewer body text styles, and very limited color expression) I re-discovered power in scale and a limited palette.
Site Migration Process
Operational model for content marketing that can clearly demonstrate platform ROI.
Improved customer acquisition through organic search results optimization.
Improved Engagement by using AI to analyze content relevancy to target audience.
AEM Templates
Adobe Experience Manager templates with different layout patterns for known use-cases and migration requirements, as captured in documentation for content authors during training sessions.
