Transforming Health: A Comprehensive Digital Ecosystem Strategy

This case study is anonymized as per requirements of this public sector organization. No identifying details are shared to ensure confidentiality and compliance with privacy standards.

Project Details

Paper Leaf partnered with a prominent healthcare provider to develop a technology plan that modernized their network of websites and supported health initiatives. Through research, strategy, and collaboration, we delivered a detailed roadmap, setting the client on a clear path to unify their digital ecosystem.

Problem Statement

The client’s digital ecosystem included 15 websites supported by a fragmented tech stack of 17 different products and services, spanning six hosting services, five server types, and three CMS frameworks. This complexity led to inefficiencies, inconsistent user experiences, and challenges in navigation.

This website architecture improvement project was a technology consulting project in which Paper Leaf was hired to assess the current state of the clients’ network of websites and provide recommendations for improving the technical framework and user experience. 

The client was a large organization made up of different departments, each with its own goals and priorities. Leveraging our experience with large, complex organizations, we worked with the client to align these departments. We helped them break down feedback from individual departments and offer solutions that met their specific needs while aligning with the overall strategy.

The main objectives of the project were to:

• Optimize site architecture to improve user wayfinding and access to content.
• Develop an integration plan for relevant web properties, emphasizing best practices in UX and navigation design.
• Assess security, hosting, and disaster recovery needs to deliver a comprehensive governance and operational plan.

What We Did

The project began with extensive research. Given the complexity of the task, we gathered a significant amount of information to map the ecosystem of the network of sites. Our approach included:

• Thorough documentation of the tech stack, performance, and content for each site;
• Conducting a comparative analysis of similar organizations to understand how they managed their multisite environments.
• Building a clear understanding of subfolders, subdomains, and standalone sites, as well as defining an ideal navigational structure.

Through this research, we uncovered several challenges and friction points within the ecosystem. Using these insights, we developed comprehensive plans and presentations for the client. Our outputs included:

• A user experience analysis report and presentation.
• A future state information architecture. 
• A consolidation roadmap and implementation plan.
• A website hosting, governance, and security plan.
• An itemized budget and work back schedule.

Overall, our plans and presentations addressed three key areas:

1. Unifying content into a robust program website.
2. Standardizing the tech stack (hosting and framework) across all properties. 
3. Creating a cohesive branded experience throughout the network of sites.

We also developed a diagram that outlined, at a high level, how technical considerations, user goals, and organizational goals aligned. Our recommendations addressed issues such as resolving circular navigation paths, eliminating redundant content, clarifying ambiguous labels, improving linking strategies, and more.

Outcomes

The consolidation roadmap and implementation plan laid out how the client could restructure content, rebuild the site into a modern CMS, and adapt the network to grow and evolve over time. It provided a vision for the future state of their digital ecosystem, outlining five key phases to be executed over 1.5 to 2 years. These phases enabled the client to engage internal teams while progressing toward an integrated user experience with a consistent tech stack.

The client was thrilled with Paper Leaf’s ability to simplify a complex challenge into a practical, phased plan. The result was a cohesive, future-proof digital strategy that supported their mission of delivering better public health outcomes.