Helping the World Leader on Hip Dysplasia Share Their Expertise with a Robust New Website
Located at Orlando Health’s Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children in Orlando, Florida, the International Hip Dysplasia Institute, or IHDI, is a not-for-profit with the ultimate goal of improving the health and quality of life for those affected by hip dysplasia. Its team of professionals does this by promoting early diagnosis, developing cost-effective treatments, identifying best practices for improvement, providing educational resources and more.
Since its founding in 2008, the IHDI has connected with notable medical centers around the globe, and it all began because a mother had the resources to help others who are dealing with the effects of hip dysplasia. It started with Cara Whitney, whose son has hip dysplasia, quickly realized the lack of resources and medical progression for this condition. Thanks to Cara, high-level research and significant findings have been published; parents, physicians and patients have a better understanding of the condition; and there are more hip-healthy products available worldwide than ever before.
Seeking a partner who knows how to brand, design and program a website with the customer journey in mind, the IHDI sought out the help of Appleton for this extensive website project. Its biggest challenge was driven by the need to update the user experience/user interface (UX/UI) for visitors looking for the latest information on hip dysplasia.
To achieve their digital goals, Appleton connected with the team at the IHDI to strategically design a website that not only helps users better navigate the site and takes them on an educational journey, but also motivates current patients to share their stories on the website for all to read.
Given the variety of people who are involved with this medical condition and its healing process, our team defined a hierarchy of key target audiences:
- Parents of patients
- Adults facing a new diagnosis or recovering from surgery
- Doctors in need of medical resources
- Manufacturers of car seats
- Donors
- Ambassadors
With objectives and audiences in place, our designers and programmers began the undertaking of this new, robust site. Using its defined and recognized brand, we designed a site that is clean, contemporary and sophisticated. The bright images of people engaging in everyday activities using their hips gave the site a sense of optimism. To create the illusion of depth and dimensionality in the 2D space, we added interesting angles to keep the viewer flowing through the pages and utilized animations such as parallax scrolling.
Appleton also programmed a custom feature utilizing a sidebar sub-navigation, allowing the user to see multiple categories at a glance and more easily find the information relevant to their needs. This was specifically designed to streamline the navigation process for ease of use. The 120-page custom site, programmed with multi-level navigation, now has a simplified online donation process, easy access to articles and a user-friendly search feature.
One of the most important features of the IHDI website was the presentation of its patient stories. These stories have been programmed to include a classification of three categories: infants, adolescent and adults. To share a story, users can create an account and submit a story for approval. It’s crucial that those affected by hip dysplasia tell their stories so others can see what the IHDI has done to help them and provide education for those who are newly affected by the condition.
To give the website a more personalized feel, our video team created a hero video focusing on hip mobility that was placed on the home page of the website. It features people who may have hip dysplasia doing regular activities, such as running, riding a bike, dancing, etc., to show that with the help of IHDI, you can live a happy, healthy life.
Launching an updated healthcare website is easier than you think with the right team by your side. If you’re looking to make your healthcare website stand out and make your resources known, contact us. Appleton is an award-winning, full-service advertising agency that specializes in Orlando web design services. Appleton works with local, national and international clients to deliver powerful, responsive websites that are specifically designed to be seen first in search engines. Reach your target customers in the right places and establish highly qualified leads with a dynamic and accessible website. Your web design and development goals are worth a conversation: contact us at 407-246-0092 or info@appletoncreative.com.
