Responsive web design

Service design

Onboarding 3 million patients to their new digital health record

Timeline

6 months

Client

Role

Senior Strategic Designer

Skills

Web design, UX design, Product strategy

Overview

In fall 2025, UPMC began migrating 12 legacy EHRs to a single consolidated health record system. As a result, the 12+ portal apps used by over 3 million UPMC patients became unavailable. Our team developed the migration plan for successfully transitioning users to the new system. As part of this work, I designed & helped deploy a new online resource center to guide patients through the change.

The challenge

Successfully transition 3M+ portal users from 12 legacy systems to the new UPMC app. Equip patients with the info they need to understand the changes. Enable access to core portal features such as billing, scheduling, and messaging.

Our solution

An online resource hub and outreach campaign to address patient confusion and deliver guidance for accessing health information during the migration – with the goals of enabling self-service resolution and maximizing portal conversions.

Impact

Highest daily web traffic to UPMC.com in 2+ years

75% complaint resolution via the resource hub

Design system updates adopted across 11K+ pages

Key features

01

Introducing the new portal experience

Using simple rich visuals and accessible language to inform patients about the upcoming change and its benefits

02

Preparing patients to onboard

Increasing conversions by prominently displaying entry points to the new system – with helpful tips for logging in

03

Connecting visitors to the right information

Introducing simple mechanisms to route patients to relevant resources, tailored to their unique needs

04

Offering step-by-step assistance

Helping users resolve common challenges independently through clear, detailed guidance

05

Addressing common pain points

Guiding patients to the answers they need with FAQs developed with clinicians, operational leaders, and marketing

Visit the resource hub

As of Sept. 27, 2025, the resource hub has been published and made available to all UPMC patients and staff as part of the ongoing system updates. It will remain live until Q2 2026.

My role

As the project’s sole designer, I led the end-to-end design of the resource hub. From the outset, I helped define the project’s goals and scope as our team sought organizational buy-in. Once approved, I developed the information architecture and explored multiple design concepts through sketches and wireframes.


I collaborated closely with teammates and the marketing department on content strategy, and worked with an illustrator to establish the site’s visual language and brand. I produced all final high-fidelity screens and managed the design handoff to engineering. Throughout this process, I facilitated feedback sessions across design, marketing, and engineering.


After handoff, I supported the engineering team through implementation and testing, helping validate design behavior and ensure that the experience performed as intended. Post-launch, I analyzed usage metrics and gathered feedback to identify opportunities for iteration and improvement.

Design methods & tools

AI

Site copywriting and CTA drafting with Microsoft CoPilot

Research

Competitive analysis

Workflow analysis

Design

Information architecture

Concept sketching

Wireframing

Rapid prototyping

Figma

Illustration + branding

Design systems

Web + mobile design

Development

Sitecore CMS

Piwik analytics

UX + Service Designer