ARC Research Study Portal

User Interface for monitoring ALS disease progression.

With the robust ARC Research Study Portal people with ALS around the world can contribute data about their disease progression to the largest natural history study for ALS. Without simple instructions and access to their data, more than 800 participants with ALS cannot consistently contribute. And without a clear presentation of the program and its terms, potential participants cannot enroll.

I led the design of a more intuitive ARC Portal that provides friendly and consistent visuals, insightful data representation, and user-centered patterns.

User Interface

Responsive Website

User Experience

Motion Design

Cross-functional Team Collaboration

Illustration

Brand Identity

Challenges

The biggest design challenge was to present the crucial enrollment information and complex participant data in a way that brings clarity and value to users. Here are other challenges:

  • improve the user experience of the enrollment process

  • reduce drop-off and enroll more participants

  • improve communication to participants

  • build a brand identity around the ARC program

Added Participant Portal Value

The redesigned portal significantly improved usability for hundreds of study participants by clarifying user tasks, addressing multiple use cases, implementing a user-friendly information architecture, and updating participants of important study updates that demonstrate why their participation is making an impact.

Step-by-Step Digestible Enrollment Process

Thanks to the new ARC study enrollment process potential participants learn what eligibility and participation means and why data is needed through a variety of visual and auditory media that is presented in a digestible, step-by-step workflow. Within four weeks of the new enrollment launch, the study received a 20% increase in enrollment completion.

User-Centered Design

The design is based on user-centered design methods and prior research. Comprehensive analysis in close coordination with experts were executed. The ideation phase included paper and digital wireframes and prototypes.

  • Paper Wireframes

  • User Research

  • User Feedback

  • Information Architecture

  • ARC Study Enrollment User Flow

  • Digital Wireframes

    Digital Wireframes

Features

  • Friendly and Memorable Login Screen

  • Responsive Website

  • Guided Enrollment Process

  • Brand Identity and Illustration

  • Portal Feature Improvements

User friendly enrollment process

The redesigned enrollment process includes multiple save points, a progress bar, audio and video options, and an always accessible sticky bottom navigation bar that points you to an email address to get help.

ARC Enrollment Process Prototype 2_fallback.png

Centralized sign in and dashboard

Participants and potential new participants now have a central landing page where they can easily login to their portal. Once they login, the updated dashboard shows them their upcoming tasks, an overview of their data, and the latest news about the study, and more relevant info.

ARC Sign In Dashboard Prototype_v2_fallback.png

Engaging video and audio features

New audio and video features, like listening to or watching a video to learn about the program instead of just reading large blocks of text, helps study participants, who likely have limited mobility, understand and move through the content in multiple engaging ways.

What I learned

  • Working from user research and incorporating user feedback to design with empathy

  • Working within a cross-functional team of experts

  • Designing user workflows and information architecture to put the user’s needs first

What users are saying

“The new dashboard is great and such an improvement! It’s very simple and the changes were necessary“

- Lori whose husband is living with ALS and is a study participant

“The new site is attractive and inviting to participants”

- Stacey who is living with ALS

Next

ALS Clinical Trial Finder