CASE STUDY
Sunosi
My goal was to redesign the Sunosi website in order to reduce user drop-off, improve accessibility, and deliver a clearer experience for patients with narcolepsy and obstructive sleep apnea. Originally scoped as a visual refresh, the project shifted into a full redesign—including new brand identity—midway through an accelerated 8-week timeline. As lead senior designer, I oversaw the redesign of the patient-facing website while managing a global team of six designers across two continents. My focus was on aligning brand development with UX best practices, optimizing for clarity and compliance, and ensuring smooth collaboration across Experience Design, Brand, and Account teams
Results Achieved
Website Click-through rate increased by around 30% on the patient site after launch, attributed to simplified navigation and clearer content hierarchy.
Improved accessibility, with compliant contrast, structure, and screen reader support.
Launched on schedule across all three deliverables despite expanded scope, earning strong client feedback and paving the way for future partnerships.
Clients provided positive feedback and extended the contract.
Website for Patients
For the patient site we prioritized a clear hierarchy of information and included a quiz feature to identify if Sunosi was the right treatment for them. Specific features we included was spelling out "Menu" under the hamburger menu as the symbol was not intuitively understood by many user groups. Site featured video page featuring patient testimonials. One of the most visited pages for pharmaceutical brands is the FAQ and side effects section. We used accordions as well as an "Expand all" button to find a balance between clean presentation and in-depth information.
For the patient site we prioritized a clear hierarchy of information and included a quiz feature to identify if Sunosi was the right treatment for them. Specific features we included was spelling out "Menu" under the hamburger menu as the symbol was not intuitively understood by many user groups. Site featured video page featuring patient testimonials. One of the most visited pages for pharmaceutical brands is the FAQ and side effects section. We used accordions as well as an "Expand all" button to find a balance between clean presentation and in-depth information.
Client: Axsome Pharmaceuticals
My Role
Lead Senior Designer, Web
Lead Senior Designer, Web
My Team
I led a fully remote team of 2 US-based product designers, 4 Johannesburg-based designers, and a UX architect. We partnered with account managers, art directors, copywriters, and medical researchers.
I led a fully remote team of 2 US-based product designers, 4 Johannesburg-based designers, and a UX architect. We partnered with account managers, art directors, copywriters, and medical researchers.
Objectives
• Redesign of two websites--for patients and healthcare professionals (HCP)
• Development of an interactive visual aid for client sales teams
• Creation of a new brand identity in parallel with UX work
• Delivery within an 8-week timeline
• Redesign of two websites--for patients and healthcare professionals (HCP)
• Development of an interactive visual aid for client sales teams
• Creation of a new brand identity in parallel with UX work
• Delivery within an 8-week timeline
Website for Healthcare Professionals
By contrast the Healthcare Professional oriented site is much more dense with studies and science data which needed to be presented clearly and focus less on photography. I worked in collaborative with the art directors to develop visuals that were pithy and high level with links to more in-depth information. Another challenge was translating dense charts and graphs for mobile view.
By contrast the Healthcare Professional oriented site is much more dense with studies and science data which needed to be presented clearly and focus less on photography. I worked in collaborative with the art directors to develop visuals that were pithy and high level with links to more in-depth information. Another challenge was translating dense charts and graphs for mobile view.
Key Takeaways
Leadership requires both delegation and mentorship – I empowered junior designers by assigning them ownership of major site areas, then implemented regular check-ins to provide regular feedback throughout the process as they iterated. Ensured designers had the space to raise issues and challenges as they worked so that I could be proactive in clearing roadblocks.
Parallel brand and UX development demands structure – I developed design skeletons early and led iterative testing to ensure compatibility with a still-evolving brand identity. This prevented us from having to wait until the brand was fully fleshed out before beginning the site design which would not have left sufficient time.
Cross-continental collaboration works with clarity and trust – I fostered an inclusive and accountable team culture across time zones, ensuring the Johannesburg team had clear direction and support despite the asynchronous hours.
Knowing which “hills are worth dying on” – I successfully advocated for Google Fonts custom typefaces that the brand team wanted to use, by explaining that doing so would ensure consistent performance across browser and device types. I compromised on aesthetic elements like artwork and photography as long as they did not interfere with usability and the user experience.
Interactive visual aid
This is an internal sales tool developed for client sales teams to use at trade shows and conventions. They would guide scientists and healthcare professional through various data and benefits of Sunosi on a tablet. We utilized secondary menus and modals to present dense information clearly.
This is an internal sales tool developed for client sales teams to use at trade shows and conventions. They would guide scientists and healthcare professional through various data and benefits of Sunosi on a tablet. We utilized secondary menus and modals to present dense information clearly.
