Nursing Home Staffing Campaign Website
Leading discovery and design through change management
Client: White House x Center for Medicaid & Medicare Services (CMS)
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, the team successfully delivered a functional and inspiring website ahead of schedule.
Challenge
The White House tasked CMS with developing a website for a nursing home staffing initiative. However, the policy details were undefined, contractors like myself were unable to recruit users for research, the client feared pushing the envelope, and collaboration with the CMS Department of Research was challenging. Despite the lack of a defined policy, the website was due by the fall, six months from the date of assignment.
Goal
The goal was to gather as much information as possible through desk research and stakeholder interviews while gaining the trust of outside departments through open dialogue and curiosity. Collaboration was essential to complete the work.
Team
The team consisted of two product managers, two UX designers, two content designers from CMS, and one front-end engineer. My role on the team was to lead the design initiative and provide guidance for both design and engineering on the style and functionality of the website.
Partners
Fearless, Civic Actions
Timeline
6 Months
Research & Discovery
To better understand the healthcare landscape and align our efforts with the needs of the project, I began by conducting extensive desk research on the current state of healthcare staffing and developing preliminary, or “proto” user personas as well as a comparative analysis of various scholarship and state nursing websites. These personas and website analyses served as a starting point for validating assumptions and fostering collaboration with the Department of Research (DR). By presenting our findings and engaging in open discussions, we not only ensured we were on the right track but also worked to build trust with DR.
Sharing the analysis and validating personas allowed the UX team to engage with the Department of Research (DR) and stakeholders. On a call, I secured DR's alignment and confirmed with stakeholders that designing the website depends on content, which requires research. To move forward, we began building interim content while CMS finalized the policy plan with the White House.
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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. 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
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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 and Workshops
To better understand the policy landscape and shape our approach, I conducted formal interviews with key policy stakeholders and informal discussions with friends in healthcare and public health, gaining valuable insights and practical perspectives. Recognizing the importance of content, I also initiated weekly meetings with CMS content writers to promote a content-first approach, ensure realistic timelines, and align the content creation process with project milestones.
Additionally, I took the initiative to connect with the individual with the most insight. While my decision to approach someone in a high-level policy-making role initially raised questions, it proved pivotal. This action secured us access to critical meetings from which we had been previously excluded, enabling us to stay on track, meet the original launch timeline, and set realistic timeline expectations with leadership.
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Discovery Workshop
To build trust and align the team with stakeholders, I facilitated interactive workshops focused on defining the problem, identifying the target audience, validating proto-personas, and brainstorming user and stakeholder questions. These sessions emphasized the critical role of content in moving the project forward and fostered collaboration around shared goals.
The workshops also uncovered significant challenges with the initial fall launch timeline, such as the lack of a defined program, reimbursement structure, deadlines, and participating facilities—issues that stakeholders hadn’t previously recognized. By addressing these gaps, I ensured the team shifted focus to creating an inspiring website showcasing the rewarding opportunities in nursing home careers. Without these workshops, these critical issues might have gone unnoticed, delaying progress and risking the project’s success.
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Product Roadmapping
After the content workshop, we developed a two-phase product roadmap (pre-policy and post-policy) to ensure timely publication before the administrative changeover and to provide strategic guidance for the product's future state.
Phase 1
We focused on proto-personas and their career pathways, emphasizing why individuals should consider working in a nursing home and how they could grow their careers in this environment. This phase aimed to inspire interest and highlight opportunities within the field.Phase 2
Once the policy is finalized, we planned to provide detailed information on how and when users could apply for tuition reimbursement, grants, and other benefits. This content would be incorporated into the Nursing section, guided by user research and insights from FAQs gathered during the comparative analysis. The goal was to ensure users had clear and comprehensive answers to their questions. Additionally, this content serves as a resource for state surveyors, as reimbursements/scholarships are likely to be provided through the states.
The Design Process
Low-Fidelity Wires
With career pathways set as our focus, I started wireframing using job titles and salary data from desk research approved by the Department of Research. Taking an unconventional approach, I worked with content designers to refine the wireframes live with the client. Once approved, we held a workshop with key stakeholders from the Office of Communications to gather feedback and secure further approval. This collaborative process kept us aligned and moving forward.
Mid-Fidelity Wires
Within a week of creating the initial wireframes, I began translating the design concept into Figma. Since the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) was transitioning from Sketch to Figma, I had to create custom components that aligned with CMS branding while incorporating preexisting components from the Sketch files. To guide stakeholders in making the most informed decisions, I provided pros and cons for each version of the wireframes. Additionally, I established a centralized documentation space to ensure an easy handoff for future designers, enabling seamless updates once the policy is finalized.
The Handoff
After several iterations, I had the opportunity to observe the Department of Research (DR) conduct user interviews and prototype testing—a first for our team. Using their findings, I refined the design and created a Figma handoff the file for the next designer charged with editing the website once the campaign is fully launched. I have since stepped away from this project and the first iteration of the landing page is now live on the CMS website, with some changes since I left, but It has been published a full year ahead of the projected delay. Had we followed the initial stakeholder preference to wait for finalized research and content, we would still be stuck without deliverables or progress to show.