Pharmaceutical

Shaping future digital transformation through a UX audit and strategic workshops

A leading pharmaceutical brand was struggling with inconsistent design, duplicated development work, and time-consuming site builds. They turned to us for strategic direction and design expertise to understand how to bring greater consistency and efficiency to their digital ecosystem. The aim was to resolve immediate pain points while laying the groundwork for a scalable, future-proof solution.

Through a UX audit and strategic workshop, we worked closely with stakeholders across Fertility, IT, and the central digital team to map the current user experience, identify key pain points and business challenges, and align on a shared vision for change. Together we uncovered inefficiencies, areas of disjointed, inconsistent design, lengthy approval cycles, and opportunities to improve the existing compliance structure.

Our findings showed how a unified design system could directly tackle these challenges. We built a compelling business case that laid the foundation for a governed, component-based system designed to scale engagement and efficiency across their digital ecosystem. Through this collaborative, evidence-driven process, we unlocked a model for long-term digital growth.

Outcomes

Stakeholder alignment secured across 3 key groups - Fertility, IT, and digital
UX issues surfaced, including estimated 60% content drop-off and 25% rework due to inefficiencies
Delivered proof of concept showing potential 40% reduction in MLR cycles and 30% faster site builds
Built a robust business case unlocking the next phase of transformation

Learn more about how we achieved these results

Fragmented digital experiences were causing inefficiencies

Before engaging with us, the client’s digital ecosystem was fragmented and inefficient — a challenge familiar across global pharma. Within the Fertility portfolio alone, multiple site variants revealed many inconsistencies, including six different button styles, three video players, and four distinct footer designs across just three sites.

The problems ran deeper than UI. Slow, manual workflows and lengthy medical/legal/regulatory (MLR) approvals created bottlenecks that added weeks to publishing timelines. Compliance risks were also present, from broken adverse event links to accessibility gaps that posed reputational concerns.

These issues pointed to structural inefficiencies: duplicated development work, unclear governance, and a lack of shared standards. Together, they drained resources, hindered scalability, and made it difficult for teams to deliver the cohesive, patient- and HCP-focused digital experiences the business aspired to.

Mapping the challenges with a UX audit and workshop

We began by running a virtual workshop to explore how things worked day-to-day within the Fertility business area and to uncover the different digital challenges being faced. This session helped define the right scope for a detailed audit.

Bringing together stakeholders from Fertility, IT, and the central digital team, we mapped user needs, identified pain points, surfaced internal and technical challenges, reviewed current tools and processes, and agreed the audit scope for priority sites.

Our UX functionality audit provided a clear, evidence-based view of the digital landscape. By evaluating core components, workflows, and user experience gaps through a design system lens, we were able to connect inefficiencies directly to user impact. For example, estimated duplicated build hours (25% rework) and deep navigation paths that drove a 60% content drop-off.

This structured, data-driven process laid the groundwork to discover actionable insights, helping us show how a unified design system could address these challenges by improving consistency, accelerating builds, and embedding compliance from the start.

Building the business case for long-term transformation

By translating audit findings into clear, prioritised recommendations, we worked with our client to shape a compelling business case for change. The Fertility proof of concept became a powerful example of how design standardisation could unlock efficiency, reduce risk, and elevate the user experience — not just within this therapy area, but across the wider business too.

Our work united previously siloed teams around a shared vision, creating alignment between global and local stakeholders. The outputs addressed immediate improvements and mapped a path to a governed design system. If put into action, this could reduce 148 components to 80, accelerate builds by 30%, and cut approval cycles by 40%. Fewer components mean less maintenance, more consistency, and greater efficiency for teams, without compromising the user experience.

Crucially, this initial engagement gave our client the clarity and confidence to move forward. With evidence-backed insights and clear next steps, Fertility became the catalyst for a broader transformation, future-proofing their digital presence and enabling scalable engagement across every franchise and geography.