Talk About TD
Beyond Compliance
Role
UX Researcher & Architect
Duration
8 Months
01. The Challenge
The initial audit revealed a critical blocker where the existing interface demanded a level of motor precision that many users simply did not possess. While the client brief focused on driving conversions, the physical reality of Tardive Dyskinesia meant the navigation was effectively hostile to the audience's symptoms.
02. Key Solutions
The Strategic Pivot: From Spatial to Temporal Navigation
I identified that the "Old Model" of spatial navigation relied on crowded tab systems and multiple adjacent targets, creating high error rates for users needing fine-motor precision. To resolve this, I spearheaded a shift toward Temporal Navigation, using paginated interactions and isolated targets to create an error-forgiving architecture.
Tactical Execution: Engineering Error Forgiveness
For a user with TD, adjacent targets are nearly impossible to navigate safely as involuntary movements often lead to misclicks. I redesigned the Symptom Tool using a Buffer Zone Blueprint, moving the active label to the center as a non-interactive buffer that physically separates the "Back" and "Next" controls, drastically reducing required precision.
Conversion Strategy: Elevating the Primary CTA
To ensure the primary conversion driver was accessible regardless of motor capability, we rescued the Doctor Discussion Guide from a buried sub-page. I implemented it as a persistent global element on every page, ensuring the guide was always exactly one click away.
03. Strategic Impact
an increase in guide downloads and successfully met the primary conversion KPI
the reduction of precision errors and increased access to the primary CTA
proactively designing an error-forgiving architecture for the involuntary movements associated with Tardive Dyskinesia (TD).
05. Strategic Takeaways
Philosophy: Utility Outweighs SEO Purity
While putting the guide on every page broke traditional SEO rules regarding duplicate content, I advocated for the patient over the algorithm. For high-stakes patient tools, immediate access and utility are infinitely more valuable than strict adherence to search engine purity.
Impact and Innovation
The redesign of the Symptom Tool originated from a heuristic audit rather than the original brief, demonstrating that friction is not just an annoyance—it's a complete barrier to conversion for users with physical symptoms. Restructuring for empathy transformed a compliance-based site into a high-performance utility.