Canada’s Heart & Stroke Foundation underwent major restructuring and merged into a national organization in 2011. However, change management takes time, so it was only until 2015 Heart & Stroke updated their brand and digital presence. They enlisted Paula Scher to redesign their identity and Huge to rethink their digital presence.
Bringing together the more than 25 existing sites massive undertaking.
Many of the people coming to heartandstroke.com are in crisis and feeling overwhelmed. We wanted to ensure that the site wouldn’t overwhelm people and instead would support them and give them space to breathe. To ensure people felt supported it was critical that we surface key information more quickly and slowly reveal more as they needed it.
We developed a system of landing pages that allowed people to make each navigational decision with confidence. We made sure the landing pages not only serve as navigation but also to elevate key pieces of information so that people could get to what they need faster.
We knew that it was essential that the new website adapt to vast array of content We also knew that the website needed to grow and change for a long time (the previous website lasted over 10 years). Our solution was to create a system of modules that could grow and flex with Heart & Stroke.
After deep user research, it became clear–people were ultimately looking for a connection; whether they were a stroke survivor seeking out other survivors to feel less alone, or a donor wanting to help make a real difference in someone’s life. Creating meaningful connections meant Heart & Stroke needed to stop talking at people and instead celebrate the people whose lives are touched by Heart & Stroke everyday.
This was a good start but it wasn’t enough, we also wanted people looking for connections to find each other online , that is where the idea of “groups” was born. “Groups” based on common user types like “survivor” are communities through which members could share resources, exchange ideas, and support each other.
“When it all comes down to it, saving lives is as challenging & complex as it is rewarding.
-Geoff Craig, Heart & Stroke CMO
increased conversion
The new online presence looks like a success. Early numbers showed that conversion was up 120%, year-over-year, 34% lift in online revenue (in 2 months) and a 40% decrease in bounce rate. But, the website’s biggest impact was creating a cultural shift which forced Heart & Stroke to think about digital first and to work together. As Heart & Stroke’s CMO said “You don't just open up a new website and you get a new culture.”
Silvia Gonzalez (Experience lead)
Josiah Bilagot (Visual design)
Stacey Howchin (UX design)
Marc Caringal (Visual design)
Huge Inc // 2016
