Shirley Ryan AbilityLab
Creating an accessible, human-centered platform for one of the nation’s top rehab hospitals
Role
Project Lead
Industry
Healthcare
Duration
18 months
The Challenge
Shirley Ryan AbilityLab, formerly the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago, is a pioneering rehabilitation hospital known for its translational research model, where clinicians, scientists, and technologists collaborate in real-time with patients. As the institution prepared to open a new state-of-the-art facility, there was a pressing need to unify its fragmented digital presence. The existing ecosystem comprised over 10,000 pages across multiple websites, each catering to different audiences with varying needs and compliance requirements.
The challenge was to consolidate this complex digital landscape into a cohesive, user-friendly platform that mirrored the hospital's innovative approach to care and research.
The Opportunities
This project presented a rare opportunity to create something truly integrated and future-facing. By merging multiple sites into a centralized hub, we could better serve patients, researchers, and healthcare professionals alike, offering clarity and cohesion in how information was presented. The initiative also offered the chance to craft a responsive, accessible design system that considered users with differing levels of digital literacy and physical ability. Just as importantly, the redesign gave us an avenue to reflect the organization’s innovative approach to care, positioning the site not just as a resource, but as an extension of their forward-thinking identity.
It was also my first opportunity to lead a large team as the head of the project. I was responsible for not just the creative output beyond UX design (while mentoring two junior UX designers on the project), but also the creative and technology implementation. The team ended up totaling 18 people across all disciplines by the time the project concluded.
The Challenge
Shirley Ryan AbilityLab, formerly the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago, is a pioneering rehabilitation hospital known for its translational research model, where clinicians, scientists, and technologists collaborate in real-time with patients. As the institution prepared to open a new state-of-the-art facility, there was a pressing need to unify its fragmented digital presence. The existing ecosystem comprised over 10,000 pages across multiple websites, each catering to different audiences with varying needs and compliance requirements.
The challenge was to consolidate this complex digital landscape into a cohesive, user-friendly platform that mirrored the hospital's innovative approach to care and research.
The Opportunities
This project presented a rare opportunity to create something truly integrated and future-facing. By merging multiple sites into a centralized hub, we could better serve patients, researchers, and healthcare professionals alike, offering clarity and cohesion in how information was presented. The initiative also offered the chance to craft a responsive, accessible design system that considered users with differing levels of digital literacy and physical ability. Just as importantly, the redesign gave us an avenue to reflect the organization’s innovative approach to care, positioning the site not just as a resource, but as an extension of their forward-thinking identity.
It was also my first opportunity to lead a large team as the head of the project. I was responsible for not just the creative output beyond UX design (while mentoring two junior UX designers on the project), but also the creative and technology implementation. The team ended up totaling 18 people across all disciplines by the time the project concluded.
The Risks
This kind of transformation wasn’t without risk. The diversity of the hospital’s audience which included patients navigating recovery to researchers accessing complex clinical data, meant every design decision had to walk a careful line between simplicity and depth. Compliance and accessibility were non-negotiable, especially under HIPAA and ADA guidelines. On top of that, stakeholder alignment required constant care: we had to bring together perspectives from hospital leadership, medical staff, patients (current and prospective), and external partners to build consensus and maintain momentum.
The Solution
As Associate UX Director at Code & Theory, I led the UX strategy and design for this project over an 18-month engagement. We grounded our approach in user-centered design, conducting extensive research to understand the needs and behaviors of each audience segment. These insights directly shaped how we structured content and navigation across the platform. One of my most impactful contributions was the design of a personalized user dashboard; a feature that allowed patients to save relevant resources, clinical trial information, and doctor profiles. It created a digital “binder” that traveled with them across devices.
To support accessibility and scalability, we implemented a robust, responsive design system built to gold-standard compliance guidelines, ensuring a seamless experience for all users, regardless of device or ability.
Prior to the redesign, only some of the doctors on staff had public profiles. Yet many patients remarked how they developed close relationships with their therapists and research teams, highlighting their importance in the patients’ recovery. Our response: create a profile for all medical and research staff that allows patients to follow their medical team and access them from their dashboard. Profiles for doctors, therapists, and researchers reaffirm the human touch patients can expect in their treatment.
The Outcome
The redesigned Shirley Ryan AbilityLab website successfully unified the institution's digital presence, providing a seamless experience for all users. The platform's innovative design and user-centric features garnered industry recognition, including an Honorable Mention in Fast Company's 2018 Innovation by Design Awards in the Health category.
Despite the project's age, it remains one of the most impactful and fulfilling endeavors of my career. The opportunity to contribute to a platform that supports individuals at critical points in their lives, combined with the innovative design solutions we implemented, underscores the profound role thoughtful UX design plays in healthcare.
The Solution
As Associate UX Director at Code & Theory, I led the UX strategy and design for this project over an 18-month engagement. We grounded our approach in user-centered design, conducting extensive research to understand the needs and behaviors of each audience segment. These insights directly shaped how we structured content and navigation across the platform. One of my most impactful contributions was the design of a personalized user dashboard; a feature that allowed patients to save relevant resources, clinical trial information, and doctor profiles. It created a digital “binder” that traveled with them across devices.
To support accessibility and scalability, we implemented a robust, responsive design system built to gold-standard compliance guidelines, ensuring a seamless experience for all users, regardless of device or ability.
Prior to the redesign, only some of the doctors on staff had public profiles. Yet many patients remarked how they developed close relationships with their therapists and research teams, highlighting their importance in the patients’ recovery. Our response: create a profile for all medical and research staff that allows patients to follow their medical team and access them from their dashboard. Profiles for doctors, therapists, and researchers reaffirm the human touch patients can expect in their treatment.
The Outcome
The redesigned Shirley Ryan AbilityLab website successfully unified the institution's digital presence, providing a seamless experience for all users. The platform's innovative design and user-centric features garnered industry recognition, including an Honorable Mention in Fast Company's 2018 Innovation by Design Awards in the Health category.
Despite the project's age, it remains one of the most impactful and fulfilling endeavors of my career. The opportunity to contribute to a platform that supports individuals at critical points in their lives, combined with the innovative design solutions we implemented, underscores the profound role thoughtful UX design plays in healthcare.
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My Approach: Be Adaptible
Designing across domains by translating complex systems into meaningful, human-centered experiences