Timeline
Aug - Sep 2024
Role
Lead UX designer
Employer
Optum
Nuvaila
Designing a brochure-style web presence and patient copay experience for a new biosimilars commercialization brand.
Pharmaceutical manufacturers and pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) increasingly need access to affordable biosimilars, but the private‑label commercialization model (i.e., where a company procures and distributes rather than manufactures) is unfamiliar to most stakeholders. Nuvaila, a new Optum entity entering this space, had zero market awareness, a compressed 4–6 week timeline to launch before a major September conference, and only one known competitor: Cordavis. They needed a focused, B2B‑first microsite to establish credibility, explain their differentiated model, and generate partnership leads.
Later, the team required a patient‑facing copay assistance page to help members manage out‑of‑pocket costs for biosimilars like Amjevita and Wezlana — medications where affordability directly impacts treatment adherence.
Key facts
Brand-new entity with zero digital presence entering a highly competitive pharmaceutical market
Private-label model (Nuvaila does not manufacture; it partners with manufacturers) is unfamiliar to most stakeholders
Exclusive access to Wezlana, the first biosimilar to Stelara, launching Jan 1, 2025
Tight 4–6 week design-to-delivery timeline; must launch before September 23 conference
Limited component library flexibility for page layouts
Users & goals
1
Primary audiences
Pharmaceutical manufacturers
Partner with Nuvaila under private-label arrangements to accelerate commercialization
Increase revenue through new distribution channels and competitive pricing
General behavior
Evaluate new partners through industry conferences, referrals, and targeted outreach; prioritize speed-to-market and distribution reach.
Pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs)
Gain predictable access to quality biosimilar inventory
Understand Nuvaila's procurement model and partnership benefits
General behavior
Research commercialization partners and competitive benchmarking; value pricing transparency and supply reliability.
Health systems & independent pharmacies
Gain predictable access to biosimilar inventory
Understand Nuvaila’s role in procurement and private-label distribution
Evaluate whether Nuvaila aligns with their pricing, access, and supply requirements
General behavior
Evaluate vendors based on formulary fit, pricing, and supply chain reliability; rely on procurement teams to vet new partners.
2
Secondary audience
Patients (copay programs)
Navigate copay assistance enrollment for specific medications (Amjevita, Wezlana)
Understand eligibility, enrollment process, and renewal requirements
General behavior
Arrive via pharmacy or provider referral; expect clear eligibility info and step-by-step guidance; often anxious about out-of-pocket costs.
Team & role
Team composition
UX Design
Lead UX designer + 1 support designer
UI Design
1 visual designer
Content
1 copywriter + 1 Nuvaila content editor
Partners
Nuvaila leadership & Optum B2B leads
My contributions
As the lead UX designer, I led the microsite’s information architecture, wireframing, and strategy. I conducted industry research to convey complex biosimilar concepts at a more readable level, facilitated stakeholder workshops to clarify Nuvaila’s private‑label model, and translated that complexity into a clean, accessible B2B experience.
For the copay programs page, I led initial exploration and established the design direction (financial‑first framing, future‑proof patterns, process‑focused messaging), then mentored a senior UI designer through detailed wireframing & IA execution. I reviewed his designs, ensured compliance with component constraints and legal sensitivities around brand‑specific copay funding, and navigated cross‑functional alignment with legal & product teams on how to communicate Nuvaila’s financial role.
Because Nuvaila is a brand-new entity, early discovery focused on stakeholder and domain understanding rather than traditional user research.
Constraints
4–6 week timeline to conference launch
Limited component library flexibility
Legal sensitivity around copay funding language
Brand-new entity with no existing content or style guide to reference
Foundation & insights
Business & domain
A dozen biologic drugs, including Humira and Stelara, were losing market exclusivity between 2020–2025, creating openings for biosimilar competition.
Biosimilars typically cost 50% less than reference drugs, though actual savings ranged 10–15% due to manufacturer rebates.
Out-of-pocket costs and medication adherence barriers justify the copay assistance focus.
Audience definition
Segmented primary B2B audiences: pharmaceutical manufacturers, smaller PBMs, independent pharmacies, and health systems.
Confirmed that patients would not be a core audience for the first microsite release; the patient-facing Copay Programs work would follow later.
Content & messaging
Analyzed Cordavis’ (via CVS Health) messaging, positioning, and website approach as it was the only known biosimilar commercialization competitor.
Reviewed short and long descriptions provided by stakeholders, which emphasized availability, accessibility, and affordability of medications.
Organized Nuvaila’s mission into three pillars: Impactful collaboration, Improved access for all, Uncompromised value; then treated these as core building blocks for the site’s information architecture.
Competitor analysis
Cordavis | Home
Cordavis | Careers
Brochure-site inspiration
Kozyra Construction | Home
Lilly & Co | About
Lilly & Co | Executive Committee
Summary
Exemplary brochure-sites & indirect competitors had clean, mission-driven homepages that could be leveraged to identify patterns for communicating value without overwhelming visitors with jargon.
Key principles
Appropriate signal-to-noise ratio
Prioritized value-based content
Clear & clean navigation structure
Approach
Information architecture
Applied OOUX (Object-Oriented UX) to extract core objects for manufacturers, PBMs, partners, and patients and then ranked them by audience priority and business goals.
Optimize signal-to-noise
Followed principles via Nielsen-Norman Group (NN/g) articles to design a compact sitemap and avoid text-heavy content using white space to emphasize key value messaging and CTAs.
Component library
Worked within in-house component library constraints that had limited card styles, button variants, and spacing options, but allowed for reusable patterns & templates.
Wireframes & mockups
Desktop wire | Home
Nuvaila | Home
Nuvaila | Copay assistance
Nuvaila | Manufacturers
Nuvaila | Other partners
Key design decisions
Decision
Small, focused sitemap (5–6 pages)
Rationale
Tight timeline; B2B audiences seeking quick answers
Outcomes
Launched before conference
Easier partner navigation
Decision
Mission-pillar structure
Rationale
Nuvaila's mission language grouped value naturally
Outcomes
Clear, scannable sections
Reinforced brand coherence
Decision
Audience-specific pages (Manufacturers, Patients, Partners)
Rationale
Different audiences care about different benefits; segmented content improves relevance
Outcomes
Higher, more tailored engagement
Reduced cognitive load per audience
What launched
A clean, five-page brochure site launched ahead of the September 23 conference, serving as the primary digital touchpoint for pharmaceutical manufacturers, PBMs, and health systems.
Post-launch copay page
A patient-friendly guide to enrollment in manufacturer copay assistance for Amjevita, Wezlana, and future biosimilars, with future-proof patterns for additional programs.
What went well
OOUX and signal-to-noise principles forced ruthless prioritization, preventing jargon from burying value propositions
Organizing the narrative around three core pillars (collaboration, access, value) created coherence and made the brand story repeatable across pages
Designing copay patterns and sitemap assuming expansion (multiple medications, more partners) set the foundation for sustainable growth
What I'd do differently
Schedule more frequent stakeholder check-ins to manage tight timelines, copay messaging iterations, and brand-sensitive concerns earlier
Clarify partnership contact flows so manufacturers and other audiences have a clearer path to start a conversation
Moving forward
This microsite established Nuvaila's foundational digital presence. Future iterations can explore:
Adding real-world data on cost savings, manufacturer partnerships, and patient outcomes
Simplifying the process for partnership flows across both pharmacy types earlier in the design process
Interactive diagrams explaining how the private-label model reduces costs