Overview
The White House tasked CMS with creating a program website to encourage careers in nursing homes through free training and tuition reimbursement, addressing a critical staffing shortage. Despite undefined policy details, recruitment limitations for research, and a tight six-month deadline, I led the design team and successfully delivered a functional and inspiring website ahead of schedule in the course of 6 months.
My Role:
Lead Product Designer
Research & Discovery
1. “Proto” Personas
Lacking clarity about the initiative’s purpose and audience, I created these initial personas and then deferred to the Department of Research for their feedback, expertise and to build trust. Afterall, research is their area of expertise, and I wanted them to know that I value their input and feedback. By sharing preliminary user personas, I gained key insights, including the need to target nursing students nearing graduation and those seeking a change in career path to become CNA’s
2. Comparative Analysis
I analyzed state nursing websites, and four notable websites identified as valuable grant and scholarship resources for healthcare providers on California's Board of Registered Nursing website: Johnson & Johnson, CA.gov Health Care Access and Information (HCAI), and Nursing World - HRSA. This analysis focused on familiar tools, effective design elements, and avoiding poor user experiences. Findings were shared in a Mural board and slide deck to highlight user experience best practices for stakeholders.
Content & Workshops
Discovery Workshop
The workshops helped build trust with stakeholders and also revealed major challenges with the initial fall launch timeline, including undefined programs, reimbursement structures, deadlines, and participating facilities—issues stakeholders had overlooked. By addressing these gaps, the team refocused on creating an inspiring website to promote rewarding nursing home careers. Without these workshops, critical issues could have gone unnoticed, jeopardizing the project’s success.
Career Pathways
After the content workshop, we revisited the proto-personas and concentrated on their career pathways. This sparked a collaborative brainstorming session where we discussed showing people why they should consider working in a nursing home and how they might grow their careers in one. From there we began outlining potential career journeys to inspire and engage our target audience.