How We Became WebMD’s Go-to Well-being Partner: Through Smarter UX Design
This case study explores how my team uncovered and addressed major usability challenges in WebMD’s mobile wellness platform. The platform offers a robust suite of tools-health assessments, coaching, progress tracking, and rewards-but our user testing revealed that first-time users often felt lost, overwhelmed, and unsure where to start.
Product Designer ,
UX Researcher
10 Weeks
Figma, Panelfox
Shriya Chipde, Shayla Singh, Aayushi Bharadwaj, and Jasmine Chen
WebMD Health Services
The goal of WebMD Health Services’ platform is to support users in improving their health and well-being, while helping client organizations enhance the impact of their wellness programs. As part of an ongoing redesign, the UX team is reimagining how the platform functions- what should be improved, revised, removed, or added. This project focused specifically on evaluating the Future Concept Demo Homepage Experience to identify usability issues and opportunities for refinement.
THE PROBLEM The Platform Left Users Wondering: “Where Do I Go Next?”
WebMD Health Services partnered with us to evaluate the usability of their mobile platform’s homepage. As a UX researcher and Product Designer on the team, I was responsible for facilitating usability tests, synthesizing participant feedback, and mapping design recommendations to user behavior. I worked alongside my teammates and each of us analyzed different user sessions and collaborated on the final insights.
Our goal was to answer:
How might we simplify a complex application into clear, actionable steps- so users can navigate the platform with clarity and purpose, starting from their very first login?
THE PROCESS Our Research Sprint: From Kickoff to Key Findings
Client Kickoff + Goal Alignment
We began with a stakeholder meeting to understand the business goals and the ideal first-time user journey. The client emphasized the importance of guiding users from login to meaningful action, like completing a health assessment or setting a goal.
We began with a stakeholder meeting to understand the business goals and the ideal first-time user journey. The client emphasized the importance of guiding users from login to meaningful action, like completing a health assessment or setting a goal.
Methodology Overview
Task Design + Pilot Testing
We designed seven realistic tasks for new users, including finding a health coach appointment, checking rewards, and exploring company benefits. We piloted the test script internally to refine our prompts and ensure clarity.
Participant Recruitment + Moderated Usability Sessions
Using Panelfox, we screened and recruited 8 U.S.-based adults aged 29–65, matching WebMD’s core demographic of working professionals seeking wellness support.
We conducted 8 one-on-one sessions. My personal focus was on two of these, where I facilitated the sessions, captured behaviors, and asked follow-up questions to surface deeper usability insights.
Mapping Insights
We each reviewed and annotated our sessions, then regrouped to identify recurring themes: poor icon clarity, overwhelming navigation, and lack of onboarding stood out. I helped cluster user quotes and behavior patterns into pain points.
WHAT WE FOUND Confusing Icons, No Guidance, and a Missed Opportunity to Support User Goals
Key Issues
- - The homepage only highlighted the health assessment, with no obvious next steps.
- - Icons like “map” and “flag” were misunderstood and reused inconsistently across the app.
- - Important tools (benefits, coaching, rewards) were buried in ambiguous menus.
- - The search bar was hidden inside the hamburger menu—users didn’t notice it.
- - There was no onboarding, which created a steep learning curve for new users.
User Feedback Highlights
OUR SOLUTION Six Usability Fixes That Help Users Feel In Control
To address these challenges, our final recommendations focused on clarity, structure, and guidance:
01. Clarify Navigation Labels + Redesign Top Navigation
Participants had difficulty navigating the app due to hidden labels in the top navigation and unclear iconography in the bottom navigation.
02. Redesign Iconography
Participants had difficulty interpreting icons due to abstract metaphors and inconsistent usage across the platform.
03. Redesign the “My Activities” Page
The My Activities page lacks clear information hierarchy, making it difficult for users to scan and locate key personal details.
04. Improve Homepage Hierarchy
The homepage lacks functional depth and did not support clear next steps beyond the initial health assessment prompt.
05. Move the Search Bar to the Homepage
Participants struggled to complete tasks due to complex navigation and hidden features.
06. Introduce Onboarding Splash Screens
First-time users lacked guidance, resulting in confusion and missed features.
CONCLUSION
How this project helped me grow
We delivered our findings in a final presentation to the amazing UX team at WebMD Health Services, along with annotated mockups. The feedback was positive and they appreciated the clarity of our insights and how directly the solutions addressed user pain points. The team also mentioned that our findings aligned with their concerns with the app.
If I had more time...
Since the onboarding idea came from discussions with the participants, I’d prototype the onboarding experience and conduct A/B testing to measure engagement and task success. I’d also explore how we might layer personalized reminders and wellness suggestions into the homepage tiles.
Takeaways
1. Clarity builds confidence.
2. Every touchpoint is an opportunity to support well-being.
3. Usability is about reducing effort, not removing features.