Blood, the Journal of the American Society of Hematology App (2016)

UX & UI Design | Freelance via Agency | Solo Designer

Overview

“Blood” is the premier journal in the field of hematology, publishing clinical and laboratory research relevant to blood diseases. The goal of this project was to design a mobile-first app experience that allowed researchers, physicians, and students to easily browse, search, and engage with journal content anytime, anywhere.

Problem

While the journal had a strong web presence, its mobile experience was limited and not optimized for reading or research workflows. The key challenges included:

Poor discoverability of new or trending content
Lack of personalization or saved search features
Minimal offline accessibility
Outdated UI and navigation

Objectives

Improve article readability and mobile navigation
Enable personalized content recommendations
Support offline reading and saved articles
Enhance search with filters for article type, date, and topic

Discovery & Research

I conducted stakeholder interviews with editorial staff and surveyed 15+ users including physicians, medical students, and researchers. Key insights:

Users frequently searched for specific topics or authors
Many read on commutes or during short breaks — speed and simplicity were critical
Users wanted to bookmark, share, and cite articles quickly

I also conducted a competitive audit of medical journal apps like JAMA, NEJM, and The Lancet to identify UX patterns and gaps.

UX Strategy & Design

I mapped out user flows for primary tasks: searching, browsing by issue or topic, reading, and saving articles. From there, I designed low-fidelity wireframes and interactive prototypes. Key features included:

Smart Search: Autocomplete, filters, and saved queries
Home Feed: Personalized based on user interests
Article View: Clean, readable layout with quick-access tools (save, cite, share, download PDF)
Library: Offline access to saved articles and past issues
Dark Mode: For night reading and eye strain reduction