Project
CASCADES is a Canadian healthcare organization dedicated to reducing the carbon footprint in the healthcare system. I collaborated with the team to redesign their website. The original website was built for securing funding, but as CASCADES expanded its focus to serve practitioners directly, the need for an updated website to host resources, courses, and community interaction became evident. I led the redesign, covering user research, site architecture, wireframing, usability testing, and no-code development.
Challenge
Solution
The redesigned CASCADES website provides:
A centralized resource hub with searchable and filterable content.
Simplified content and a clear information architecture to make it easier to access services.
A vibrant community platform for healthcare professionals to connect and collaborate on sustainable healthcare initiatives.
A new courses section, facilitating registrations for CASCADES' educational offerings.
Outcome
*Recorded ~3 months after redesign
Goals & Objectives
The goals for the redesign were:
Effectively communicate CASCADES' mission and services to new visitors.
Guide users to take clear, actionable steps towards sustainable healthcare.
Foster community networking and knowledge mobilization.
Increase resource downloads, course sign-ups, and online community memberships.
Research
During the research process, I recruited five participants for usability testing sessions via Zoom, facilitated 3 alignment workshops with key stakeholders, and distributed a survey to 80 individuals within the healthcare sector. This approach helped me to understand website usability issues, desired features/ primary content, and reasons for low community engagement rates.
Findings
Affinity map was used to organize findings from website usability testing.
Survey results were organized into charts and tables to better visualize audience needs.
Alignment workshop: participants responds to questions individually -> answers are organized collectively to discover what matters most -> Participants vote on what to prioritize.
Key Takeaways
Users struggled with confusing navigation, jargony language, and difficulty accessing resources. There was a lack of clarity around CASCADES' services, which led to disengagement. Moving the online community from a private platform to LinkedIn was proposed to increase interaction by "meeting users where they are." Content for online community was to focus on "Movement Building", "Fostering Collaboration", and "Facilitate Knowledge Sharing".
Next Steps
Based on my findings, organizational goals, and user needs, I recommended the following improvements:
Engaging Landing Page: To immediately convey CASCADES' mission and invite exploration.
Resource Library Filters: Allowing users to find materials by topic, format, or intended impact.
Course Registration Improvements: Redesign course pages to include clear calls to action, along with detailed information on prerequisites, scheduling, costs, and the intended target audience.
Community Engagement Migration: Move the online community from a private platform to LinkedIn to better facilitate engagement.
Site Map
We used card sorting and tree testing to refine the website’s navigation. These activities, involving ten participants, helped group resources, courses, and community sections effectively. The ideation phase also involved conceptualizing how to simplify the user journey by reducing content overload and improving resource categorization.
Key User Flows
The redesign started with low-fidelity sketches, eventually leading to a medium-fidelity prototype in Figma which was used to test usability.
Flow: Discover resources
Home Screen ->
Resources ->
Asset download
Flow: Discover Courses
Home Screen ->
Courses ->
Course Registration
Flow: Access about, collaborate, research opportunities
Home Screen -> about
Home -> get involved
Home -> research collab.
Usability Testing
I ran 5 task-based usability tests with target users and organized findings into an affinity diagram.
Usability Findings
I ran 5 task-based usability tests with target users and organized findings into an affinity diagram. Findings resulted in the following key changes:
Simplified Navigation Labels: Users found some labels confusing, so we refined the wording to make it more intuitive, ensuring users could easily understand and predict where each link would lead.
Improved Search Functionality: Users had trouble finding specific resources, so we enhanced the search functionality by simplifying the amount of categories in the resource section and organizing resources based on action areas.
Grouping Course Content: reorganized course groupings to make the eligibility criteria cleared, helping users to understand which course to take next.
Final Designs
I collaborated with a graphic designer to develop the final designs in WordPress
The CASCADES website redesign successfully transformed the platform from a static funding showcase to a dynamic, user-centered tool for sustainable healthcare. By improving navigation, simplifying content, and creating an engaging community space, we fostered greater adoption of sustainable practices. The redesign has set the stage for CASCADES to expand its impact, empowering healthcare professionals to make meaningful changes toward sustainability.
