Global Neuropsychology: Full-service branding and UX
My Role: UX Designer (paid contract)
Project Status: Complete (long-term support phase)
2020: what a time to start a business. In the case of New York’s friendliest and most progressive neuropsychologists, it turns out this was as good a time as any. All they needed was a good website.
Brains are structured by the connections between billions of neurons. This layout also works for brain websites.
Problem space
How might we help GNS connect with new and existing clients in a way that stands out from the crowd?
Our Solution
Designed in collaboration with the lead doctors, the site is “sleek, modern, and high-end” with a dark, sans-serif visual motif that’s highly vision-accessible.
Design Goals
Serve both new and existing clients.
Emphasize global and local service availability.
Streamline access to common tasks like bill payment.
Convey three business pillars: research, therapy, and assessment.
We made:
A responsive, visually impactful homepage.
A hero that conveys breadth of services and global availability in under 30 seconds.
Condensed and full doctor bios that convey reputability in under 45 seconds.
Customized Google Maps directions available in two clicks.
Distinct sections for research, assessment, and treatment- no wading required.
Retouched headshots.
Tall scrolling homepage supports existing interaction paradigm and responsive layout.
Research
We started by putting users at the core of our design.
I worked with GNS to understand their clientele and what they would need from the site. Problem space defined, we held a remote collaborative design studio using Freehand, powering through busy schedules, different time zones, and a hospital power outage.
I met my 3 masters: doctors, patients, and lawyers.
The site presented a unique challenge in a medical context since we had to balance usability with a multitude of medical terms necessitated by medical and legal technicalities.
We established that:
Visual accessibility was essential for a neurodiverse audience.
The site needed to drive conversion and serve as an initial touchpoint for cross-shopping patients.
Emphasizing the ongoing nature of the doctors’ research and work in the community was key.
Design
Custom Hero
The doctors and I devised a striking custom hero image that highlighted diversity of services and clientele.
Branding and Design Ethos
“Sleek, sophisticated, and high-end” were the orders of the day for a clientele that lived near Park Avenue in Manhattan and would frequently pay out of pocket.
The global availability of services and the experience of the doctors was also emphasized.
Custom hero image with alpha transparency
Branding summary snippet
Takeaways
Great project management = great UX- By keeping in constant communication and using a live collaborative web platform, everyone was on the same page.
Animation that does not guide distracts. Keep it simple.
UX means authentic inclusion. Authentic inclusion means going beyond convention and never assuming. That meant making visual accessibility and contrast a priority.