Creating a Holistic Health Platform

From Discovery to Ongoing Support for Wellness & Longevity

This is a clinic in Northern Idaho specializing in weight loss, wellness and longevity treatments, sexual health, and urinary incontinence solutions. The client initially had no established design or branding but wanted a website that felt warm, engaging, and professional. Their original designer envisioned a blend of Eddie Bauer and Patagonia aesthetics—rich textures, outdoor imagery, and a comforting, active lifestyle vibe—yet applying that style directly to a medical website while retaining a clinical feel proved challenging.

I took on full UX and development responsibilities, incorporating subtle elements of outdoorsy imagery (e.g., grilled food, camping, hiking, mountain biking) to convey a healthy, active spirit, while maintaining a professional medical tone. This resulted in 8 main pages of clear, patient-focused services and information, all set up for HIPAA-compliant appointment requests.

Duration
  • 4 week website build
  • Development cycle for the design went 4 weeks before I was asked to step in.
Role
  • Full Design & Development
  • UX Strategy
  • HIPPA Compliance
Scope
  • 8-page website positioned for easy expansion without a developer.
Tech & Tools
  • WordPress with minimal PHP redesign
  • Jotform
  • Adobe XD

Initial Challenges & Solutions

No Existing Brand Identity

The clinic had no logo or design vision, making it essential to define a cohesive look and tone from scratch.

Solution - Graphic Designer Collaboration

The original site designer had a vision that they conveyed and the graphic designer and I collaborated on the brand guide based on their feedback. When the designer was replaced, we revamped the brand guide and were able to align it more closely to their vision.

Conflicting Design Vision

The original inhouse designer’s outdoorsy concept clashed with the realities of a medical site, leading to some frustration on the part of the client.

Solution - Virtual Meetings & Monday Access

To step in and smooth out the situation we developed a new wireframe and reformatted the user experience flow for the site. We still tried to maintain the outdoor adjacent feel of the site to prove that the original designers idea had legs but needed refinement to fit with the asthetic and tone of a modern medical clinic.

Ensuring User Trust

Sensitive topics like sexual health and urinary incontinence required a warm yet professional approach, fostering user comfort and confidence.

Solution - Create a Sensitive User Roadmap

Treating the subject as clinical but with a high degree of empathy was key here. By framing the issues as one most men and women will endure in their lifetime we were able to create a product that spoke to the solution rather than the embarrassment of the problem.

Working the Problem

Discovery & Pivot in Design Leadership

  • Weekly meetings led by the original designer, who proposed a heavy Eddie Bauer/Patagonia aesthetic. Communication with the original designer started to break down as the aesthetic was not fitting the information we got from the physicians and meetings became more sparse.
  • We shared our communication issues with the client and presented our alternative on the design direction focusing on healthy living imagery  but tempering it with a clear medical layout.
  • Blended subtle outdoor imagery (camping, hiking) with a clean medical design, ensuring credibility and warmth.

UX Strategy & BASIC Framework

  • Leveraged a BASIC design framework to ensure the site felt comfortable, reassuring, and user-friendly.
  • Created pages that guided users through potentially sensitive health topics by combining calm color palettes, straightforward language, and clear calls to action.

Physician Collaboration

  • Worked with the clinic’s two doctors to incorporate medically accurate yet easily digestible content.
  • Ensured important procedures and treatments (e.g., longevity programs, sexual health) were described respectfully and informatively.
  • Used gentle language and discreet page layouts, normalizing sexual and incontinence issues as standard healthcare topics.
  • Provided reassurance through doctor-approved content, illustrating expertise and empathy.

HIPAA Compliance

  • Included secure, HIPAA-compliant appointment forms to protect patient data while educating the clinic on ongoing compliance needs.

Outcomes

User-Centered Design & Branding

Patients encountered an inviting, trustworthy site that combined active outdoor imagery with medical credibility—striking the balance the client initially struggled to define.

Comprehensive Healthcare Guidance

With each page doctor-reviewed, the site gave prospective patients a clear, comforting overview of treatments and services.

Positive Internal Reception

Clinic staff praised the new site for accurately reflecting their values and approach to patient care, citing strong alignment with their mission to provide sensitive, empathetic treatment.

Personal Growth

This project exemplifies how a carefully tailored design strategy—grounded in empathy, medical compliance, and clear user pathways—can give a healthcare clinic the warmth and credibility needed to serve their community effectively. It also shows that internal communication challenges can be dealt with in a positive manner and a project can be saved from total breakdown.

Leadership Under Pressure

When the initial design concept failed and we stepped in, I tried to do so with a lot of empathy and compassion. The only issue with the project was the design vision was not in alignment with what had been outlined in terms of content and presentation.

Medical & Compliance Acumen

Gained deeper insight into HIPAA requirements, equipping me to advise healthcare clients on secure digital solutions moving forward.

Leveraging BASIC Framework

Reinforced the importance of user comfort and clarity—particularly in healthcare contexts where visitors might feel vulnerable.

Doctor-Developer Collaboration

Working with medical professionals underscored the value of precise yet approachable content, which I was able to integrate into the site’s design.

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