Timeline
Aug - Sep 2023
Role
UX designer & researcher
Employer
Optum Rx
Designing & testing two login call-to-actions for different pharmacy types in a single hero section.
Members logging into a pharmacy benefits site are sometimes unsure whether they need the “home delivery” or “specialty” pharmacy portal. Choosing wrongly means failed logins, misrouted support calls, and delayed access to their medication.
Capital Rx needed a single landing page serving both pharmacy types under one brand and URL, but without clear visual and verbal distinction, members risked choosing the wrong path entirely.
Key facts
Two separate pharmacy types needed distinct login entry points
Existing patterns offered no clear differentiation between paths
Many members held accounts with both home delivery and specialty pharmacies
Limited component flexibility in the CMS for designing novel hero patterns
Users & goals
Important considerations
Overlapping account memberships (some users have both home delivery and specialty accounts)
Members may not understand the differences between pharmacy types without context
Providers and pharmacists inform members about specialty pharmacy eligibility, but clarity is inconsistent
1
Primary users
Members with maintenance or specialty medications who need to log in but are often uncertain which pharmacy type applies to them.
General behavior
Frequently arrive via plan or employer links, expect a simple “sign in” action, and only notice pharmacy-type distinctions when something goes wrong (e.g., failed login or blocked refill).
Business goals
Reduce login confusion and misrouted attempts
Clearly differentiate pharmacy types upfront
Lower support burden from login-related questions
2
Secondary users
Members with accounts in both pharmacy types; prospective members; providers and pharmacists.
General behavior
Switch between pharmacy types for different medications, reference the site to confirm where to send prescriptions, and rely on quick scanning rather than deep reading when clarifying which portal to use.
Business goals
Support seamless routing to the correct pharmacy experience
Enable multi-account member journeys where applicable
Maintain clarity while supporting complexity
Team & role
Team composition
UX Design
Lead UX designer
UX Research
Senior researcher + 1 embedded researcher
UI Design
1 visual designer
Content
1 copywriter
Partners
1 product owner & product director
My contributions
As the lead UX designer and embedded researcher, I led the design of the split‑login hero from concept exploration through usability testing and final refinement. I researched competitor patterns and alternative layout approaches (tabbed, pricing‑style, single‑entry), drafted multiple wireframe concepts, and translated successful patterns into mid‑fidelity designs that worked within our component constraints.
I designed and configured the MUiQ image click test, co‑wrote the full test plan with the senior researcher, and partnered with them to analyze click heatmaps, survey responses, and task outcomes. Throughout, I collaborated with UI designers, product, and engineering to balance research insights with technical limitations around registration and enrollment flows.
Research showed that many members don't clearly distinguish between "home delivery" and "specialty" pharmacy, even when they have used specialty medications. While providers and pharmacists typically inform members about specialty eligibility, that knowledge is fragile and often forgotten.
A competitor analysis revealed that similar pharmacy organizations use separate login entry points rather than a single universal login, validating the need for a clearer split pattern.
Constraints
Rigid hero components with limited layout flexibility
Separate registration vs. enrollment flows for each pharmacy type
Need to support overlapping account memberships
Lo-Fi explorations
Tabbed style
Single login hero with tabs below for Home Delivery, Specialty, and Pharmacist support (reusing enterprise sign-in patterns)
Pricing-plan style
Parallel columns mirroring pricing pages, with space for pharmacy benefits summaries and CTAs
Single-entry alternative
One universal login with pharmacy explanations below, later discarded because routing logic couldn’t overlapping accounts.
Key finding
The split-login hero pattern worked best because it borrows the strengths of pricing-column layouts: parallel options, equal hierarchy, and clear labels for each path. Treating Home Delivery and Specialty Pharmacy like two “plans” side by side (including a title, brief explanation, and primary CTA) gave members a familiar comparison pattern that still fit within the rigid two-card component.
Strengths
Familiar “pricing column” structure made options easy to compare.
Equal visual weight kept both pharmacy types prominent.
Clear titles and CTAs reduced ambiguity about who each login is for.
User research
MUiQ Image Click Test | 50 participants across home delivery and specialty pharmacy audiences, recruited to represent diverse medication profiles and healthcare decision-making roles.
Study goals
Test whether the split-login hero clearly indicated which pharmacy a member should choose.
Determine which imagery and copy resonated with the target audience.
Key results
54% success rate
Over half of participants successfully clicked the correct home delivery pharmacy CTA, validating the split design's effectiveness
6% neutral outcome
Participants clicked "Register now" in some cases (neutral outcome in live environment, as it still routes to appropriate signup flow)
38% clicked other areas
Some participants clicked static images, text, or the wrong pharmacy type, indicating opportunities for stronger affordances and refined visual hierarchy in future iterations.
(Image click test) Heatmap results & zones
Most participants didn’t take specialty medications
76% participants reported they did not take specialty medications, reinforcing that many members encounter specialty language without lived experience of specialty pharmacies
Yes
No
I don't know
Home-delivery pharmacy terminology is intuitive
When asked “In a few words, what do you think ‘Home Delivery Pharmacy’ means?”, participants generally described it as a service that ships medications directly to their home instead of a physical store—showing a clearer mental model for home delivery than for specialty.
All scripts that are only delivered to your home instead of going to a physical brick and mortar store.
They deliver any medication to my home that I ordered online.
Minor confusion for non-specialty participants
A minority still expressed uncertainty about specialty definitions, suggesting future opportunities for deeper education beyond the hero.
I’m not really sure what Specialty Pharmacy means. Maybe that’s where you can check for medications available.
I’ve used a specialty pharmacy before to have a particular medication filled, but I don’t know exactly what sets it apart from standard pharmacies other than that they carry less common medications.
Approach
Inspiration & comparison
Analyzed how competitors structure multi-option landing pages (particularly pricing pages with multiple plans and CTAs).
Lo-Fi exploration
Created three concept directions (tabbed, pricing-style, and single-entry) to evaluate clarity, cognitive load, and pattern consistency.
Testing & refinement
Landed on a split-hero design with two side-by-side cards (home delivery vs. specialty), each with dedicated login, registration CTAs, and supporting copy to anchor mental models.
Wireframes & mockups
Desktop wire | Split-Login
Desktop mockup | Split-Login
Key design decisions
Decision
Side-by-side card layout (within component limits)
Rationale
Maximize visual parity and comparison; reuse pricing-page pattern familiarity
Outcomes
Familiar pattern + clear differentiation
Decision
Two primary CTAs instead of one
Rationale
Respect distinct flows; avoid misrouting members with overlapping accounts
Outcomes
Clearer mental model separation
Reduced confusion
Decision
Descriptive copy under each login
Rationale
Anchor user mental models about pharmacy types
Outcomes
Guided majority of test participants to correct path
Decision
Separate registration entry points
Rationale
Reflects reality of separate registration vs. enrollment for each pharmacy
Outcomes
Technical accuracy + user expectation alignment
What launched
A split-login hero with two distinct pharmacy pathways, each with dedicated login and registration entry points, supported by clarifying copy and visual hierarchy designed to guide members to the correct experience.
Shipped
Following the MUiQ study and pattern refinement, the split hero design and supporting page structure were implemented for the Capital Rx platform.
What went well
The split-hero pattern validated that a majority of test participants could find the correct pharmacy login when presented with clear differentiation
Using pricing-page layout inspiration alongside healthcare component constraints produced a feasible, effective pattern
Embedding research into the design iteration cycle allowed rapid concept refinement based on real member behavior
What I'd do differently
Test alternative visual designs and microcopy earlier, not just validate a single pattern at the end
Spend more time simplifying the relationship between registration and enrollment flows across both pharmacy types earlier in the design process
Test with members who hold accounts in both pharmacy types to better understand their mental models and expectations
Moving forward
Future iterations could explore alternative layouts and copy for members with accounts in both pharmacy types, a segment we didn't specifically test.
The split-hero pattern proved foundational, but opportunities exist to further reduce cognitive load and increase visual resonance through iterative refinement.