~ An Overview

Context

The CVS Pharmacy website serves over 44,000,000 customers, providing a dashboard that showcases essential information to customers nationwide. This information includes recent orders, prescription refills and schedules, a customer's family's prescription profile, and health and drug resources.

The CVS Pharmacy team wanted to implement an approach promoting vaccination bookings, prompting customers to book vaccine appointments during peak vaccine seasons on the Pharmacy dashboard. Product asked The Manage Your Prescriptions team to help solve this problem.

As a Senior Product Designer on the Manage Your Prescriptions team, I led the team by defining design direction and creating designs for the promotional element displayed on the CVS Pharmacy web dashboard.

The Problem

For customers who utilize it, the CVS Pharmacy dashboard showcases recent orders, prescription refills and schedules, and their family's prescription profile, alongside health and drug resources. However, on the Pharmacy dashboard, CVS had no opportunity to promote seasonal and recommended vaccines to customers during peak vaccination seasons.

Instead, users needed to go to the Health Services dropdown within the navigation menu, then click the Immunizations link within the menu to start the vaccination booking process.

The Challenge

The Manage Your Prescriptions team was tasked with determining how to effectively prompt customers to book a vaccine from the Pharmacy dashboard during peak seasons or when they were due for a vaccine based on their demographics, ensuring we didn't distract them from their dashboard experience.

Based on this, we opted to design a promotional banner streamlining the vaccine booking process while providing essential vaccine information on the Pharmacy dashboard using the following problem statement:

How might we enable customers to book vaccines from their Pharmacy dashboard and highlight recommended vaccines based on their demographics without distracting from key dashboard elements?

Pausing for Clarity: This promotional banner is only displayed on the authenticated version of the CVS Pharmacy dashboard in peak seasons.

The Result – This is a spoiler! Click or tap here to show the result.

My team implemented a promotional vaccination banner on the Pharmacy dashboard, enabling users to book vaccines easily while highlighting other vaccines relevant to their demographics.

By streamlining the booking approach and allowing users to start the booking process from the Pharmacy dashboard, we:

• Increased vaccine bookings at CVS by over 250,000+ during peak vaccine seasons by implementing a strategically designed vaccine banner on the Pharmacy dashboard.

• Increased click-through rates for vaccine bookings by 55% starting from the Pharmacy dashboard compared to the dashboard without any vaccine prompts.

Take a look at the final prototypes linked below:

      ➤ Mobile web final prototype

      ➤ Desktop web final prototype

1.   Researching the Problem

Primary Research

To kick off the project, I began with primary research, focusing on competitor websites that utilized similar promotional banners concentrated on promoting and suggesting items to users. This research helped me understand how other organizations successfully approached providing promotional elements and health-related guidance in a straightforward yet non-disruptive way.

I observed that companies strategically used positioning, styling, and structure to present essential and recommended information in locations where users would find it to be most beneficial. Examples of how these elements were used included:

• Positioning: Used to display contextual information that encourages users to take action or consider acting on a banner prompt.
• Styling: Used to create visual callouts, ensuring promotional banners showcasing important health information are noticeable by users.
• Structure: Used to capture user's attention, draw focus to key areas, and provide sufficient information to prompt recommended next steps.

A Competitive Analysis

To better understand how a promotional banner could prompt users to book a vaccine, I completed a competitive analysis. I analyzed existing promotional banners on the CVS website alongside those used by healthcare competitors like Walgreens, Kroger, and Rite Aid to learn how each utilized similar promotional banners on their websites.

This competitive analysis helped me gain insight into how different styles of promotional banners effectively prompted users to take action without disrupting their experience.

2.   Ideation

Defining the Direction

After working with my team to determine our approach, I utilized the CVS Health user persona to define design direction. I then collaborated with the team to explore different strategies for designing promotional banners for the Pharmacy dashboard.

Our preliminary ideas were building different banners for the Pharmacy dashboard, then testing each via UserTesting, utilizing the results we received to redefine our approach and create the final version of the banner.

After conducting further research and ideation on using a promotional banner for this feature, I met with the product team to discuss next steps. We decided to test the designs my team developed through UserTesting, followed by testing with user cohorts. This approach would allow us to gather real-time click-through rates and relevant data, determining which banner best served our customers.

Analyzing the User Journey

To best determine the styling and positioning of the vaccine banner, I dove into dissecting the user journeys that would lead customers to star the vaccine booking flow. This way, I understood the best locations for implementing the banner and the style we wanted to target customers with.

As shown below, a user would end up on the Pharmacy dashboard via different routes. Each journey coincided with a specific route to start the vaccine booking flow.

Sketches

After further discussions with my team, the product team, and stakeholders, I sketched a few versions of the vaccine banner. Leveraging prior research, my sketches focused on optimizing user conversion after users landed on the Pharmacy dashboard.

These sketches allowed me to define and visualize key design decisions before moving on to wireframing, prototyping, and testing.

Wireframing

Once I identified the ideal locations for the vaccine banner, I created wireframes to help detail its placement. The wireframes helped refine the look and feel of the banner for placement on the Pharmacy dashboard. They also provided visuals to share with my team and stakeholders before developing the initial prototype for testing.

3.   Prototyping & Testing

Designing the Prototype

I developed the initial prototype for testing using the sketches and wireframes. I used Miro for wireframing and Figma for creating a high-fidelity prototype, as it allowed easy sharing with the copywriter, UI designer, product team, stakeholders, developers, and other teams.

Figma also provided an easy route for quick changes during testing.

Piloting the Designs with Customers

After refining the styles of the vaccine banner for the Pharmacy dashboard, I created a UserTesting test to A/B test my team’s designs with smaller cohorts of CVS customers. This approach allowed us to assess customer responses to each banner version based on context, position, and content.

The UserTesting test provided my team with valuable insights into how each version of the vaccine banner benefited customers and how its styling impacted their experience. We learned the following details from our tests:

1. The banner with no call to action wasn’t clear or helpful. Users often wondered why CVS would display so much vaccine information with such a small call to action.

2. Users would rather see imagery than text only; including imagery drew users to the banner. Without imagery, users thought the banner was another part of their dashboard, leading them to often miss the banner completely.

3. Copy needed to convey essential information to users clearly. Rather than mentioning general info about vaccines, we needed to get specific about the vaccine’s benefit and why it was suggested.

4.   Modifying the Design

Redesigning from Feedback

Based on the feedback and insights from the UserTesting test, it was clear that design adjustments were needed. I reviewed the findings with stakeholders, the product team, and my team to ensure everyone understood what hindered customers from having an optimal experience.

With these issues noted, I made the following changes from feedback:

• I reworked the vaccine banner design, focusing on creating a more prominent call to action.

• I added imagery to help distinguish the vaccine banner from other items on the Pharmacy dashboard.

• I collaborated with the copywriter on my team ensuring the copy was clear and concise.

The goals of these changes were to provide customers with straightforward information alongside a prominent call to action, regardless of their journey entry point.

Testing the Redesign

I shared the new designs with the product team so that we could launch a second UserTesting test. Additionally, I updated the engineering team on the changes to the vaccine banner to ensure they were ready for upcoming discussions.

The second UserTesting test revealed that the updated vaccine banner designs were more apparent, effectively guiding customers to take proactive steps in booking a vaccine based on the contextual and detailed information provided. We learned:

• The call to action was more prominent. Users found it easier to spot and more obvious than the previous inline, text-link design.

• The imagery quickly drew user's attention to the banner, helping them recognize it as a distinct element on their dashboard rather than just another dashboard item.

• Users better understood the information provided, why vaccines were recommended, and how they could benefit from recommended vaccines if booked.

Preserving Designs in Discussion with Stakeholders

After gathering this feedback from the product team, I shared the updated designs with stakeholders. Some stakeholders were skeptical about placing the vaccine banner at the top of the screen with concerns that it would disrupt other necessary actions on the dashboard.

I shared the UserTesting feedback with the team, highlighting the benefits we observed regarding positioning. As a result, their design concerns were addressed and resolved.

5.   Handing off the Finalized Design

Conversations with Engineering

After sharing the test results with stakeholders, I worked closely with the engineering team to ensure a smooth handoff and accurate implementation of the vaccine banner designs. In doing so, the vaccine banner location, functionality, and backend requirements were understood and smoothly implemented. Through this, I understood:

Continuous discussions are required. To successfully launch the vaccine banner on the Pharmacy dashboard we needed to align on its requirements, guidelines, and functionality.

• Rather than simply assuming the developers were familiar with the details from previous discussions, I took the time to provide clear annotations for each element in each supported viewport of the vaccine banner.

Team trust is essential. As a new designer to the team, starting with no reputation or confidence from the team, getting accustomed with those I was working alongside was crucial.

• Instead of trying to lead the team from the start, I spent time getting to know the team, discussing the best approach to this design project, and ensuring that I communicated clearly and directly with them during the entire design process.

Handing off Finalized Designs

My team and I shared the high-fidelity designs with the developers. We collaborated closely to ensure everything aligned with the changes made during the design process, supporting a seamless handoff and implementation.

After the designs were implemented in the production environment, I gathered my team to QA test them, ensuring the development team had accurately followed our design, copy, and accessibility guidelines.

Take a look at the final prototypes linked below:

      ➤ Mobile web final prototype

      ➤ Desktop web final prototype

6.   Launch

Statistics from Going Live

After my team handed off our designs and had them implemented, I spoke with the product team to gather some stats to share with my team.

By creating a starting point for vaccine bookings on the Pharmacy dashboard, our designs:

• Increased vaccine bookings at CVS by over 250,000+ during peak vaccine seasons by implementing a strategically designed vaccine banner on the Pharmacy dashboard.

• Increased click-through rates for vaccine bookings by 55% starting from the Pharmacy dashboard compared to the dashboard without any vaccine prompts.

7.   Reflecting

Looking Back

Being a new designer on a project and leading a team after moving from a different line of business was a wonderful learning experience. Although we faced challenges throughout the project, I gained a deeper understanding of the importance of keeping my team informed and communicating clearly during discussions with product and stakeholders.

The team successfully executed the project, but we faced a few challenges in doing so.

What I Learned

Everyone communicates differently. As much as I would write about the updates I received from our product team and stakeholders, if I didn't match my team's communication styles, we would get stuck.

• To avoid this, I ensured that I wrote clear updates and communicated consistently in the styles of my teammates for a holistic understanding of updates and changes.

The challenges I encountered taught me the value of taking detailed notes during meetings my teammates couldn’t attend and translating them into communication styles that worked best for the team. By sharing detailed updates, my team could quickly adapt and adjust to changes without getting stuck.

What I Would Do Differently

I was new to this team when I started working on the project. Therefore, I struggled to learn about team dynamics and ensure the team trusted me as I worked with them. At times, as I focused on my tasks, I sensed the team struggled to understand my working style and whether there would be any collaboration.

This didn’t hinder progress, but it caused some initial hesitation in collaboration. Since this project, I’ve made a point to understand my team’s working styles, communication preferences, and personalities, allowing me to work more effectively and support them in delivering high-profile projects.

Thanks for Reading!

I appreciate the time you’ve taken to read through my case study and get an understanding of my process. Please reach out if you have any questions about my work Increasing Vaccine Bookings at CVS Health! I’d love to discuss it with you.

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