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- Outdated UI and navigation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
Testing & Iteration
I facilitated two rounds of usability testing with 12 users each. Notable changes included:
- Simplifying the bottom nav from 5 to 3 items
- Adding citation export formats to the article view
- Enhancing accessibility contrast ratios and font sizes