Noble Forum
Summary
Noble Forum is a fast-growing community and network with physician executives, leadership, and c-suites in mind, and is looking to connect their global community in one app to centralize discussions, share events, and offer resources to others in the profession.
Role
UI/UX Designer
Brand Designer
Tools
Figma
FigJam
Adobe Photoshop
Duration
5 weeks
More than just a "sterile health brand."
When first approached by the client to be a part of this project, one of their primary goals was to present themselves as a brand that does not adhere to the "tropes" often found in medicine or health-related brands.
This meant avoiding the aesthetics often associated with hospitals or avoid using stereotypical symbols and imagery usually found in medicine/health brands and products such as the caduceus or lab coats, as well as color schemes that felt too "corporate."
However, because this is also meant to be an invite-only community (similar to Soho House and CHIEF), there was also a goal to ensure that the perception of the brand does not project the negative feelings associated with private clubs/membership groups, such as wealth or exclusivity.
This resulted in a design identity that feels much more down-to-earth, yet still provides that same sense of quiet luxury and achievement those feel when part of this community, as many members are professionals who've dedicated their lives to help others.
Result: A branding approach rooted in built-in trust.
Below are various mockups of this design direction, informing the client's brand and their future approach to other endeavors such as marketing, social media, and more.
Connecting a disconnected community.
"[We're] held together by multiple, loosely organized WhatsApp group chats."
Head of Noble Forum
Prior to this project, Noble already has an established presence in the worldwide physician community, in part due to their yearly Noble Summits that bring together the brightest minds in the practice.
However, there was a growing desire to continue the insightful conversations that take place there and have smaller local/regional events that happen throughout the year.
The client - a physician themself - shared three desires that they and many others want to see for their community:
A centralized app or website for all discussions and networking with other members.
A way to discover, join, and host events and mixers for the community across the United States.
A place for physicians to share contact information, resources, and more in peer group settings.
Following multiple brainstorming sessions and discussions with the client, their team, and independent research on existing medical-related community apps, I mapped out an ideal sitemap for the MVP:
Site Map / Information Architecture
Wait, what does an invite-only app look like?
One of the biggest challenges I was faced with was having to understand what it means to design for an "invite-only" product, as examples shared like Soho House, Hamptons, CHIEF, etc. are inaccessible for me to explore for a potential competitor analysis.
Aside from a few screenshots from each brands' respective app store pages, I was largely relying on first-hand accounts and reviews from social media to find inspiration and avoid common pitfalls these apps had.
However, the brand tones we came up with all had various influential brands and products that inspired us. Many of these products, brands, and companies served as great inspiration in approaching the visual design, user experience, and aesthetics.
Design Process
It's missing that "human touch."
During the design process, the client expressed how they wanted to see various ways to bring more "human warmth" to some of the design and UX decisions.
"We want people to be excited about the people they can meet."
Initially, the onboarding process was designed to be a very standard user flow, focused on utility rather than experience. However, there was little to no emotional response or connection when doing what is considered to be a mundane process.
The solution? With just how professionally and geographically diverse the physician community is, adding small bits of positive reinforcement and community tidbits at certain steps in the onboarding process helped users feel more connected to their community.
"Physician leaders are very privacy-conscious."
Initially, the client had requested other features to the product that unintentionally reveal sensitive information, such as including…
A member map, showing which users live in what cities/states
Publicly displayed contact info
Fully visible guest lists when browsing events
These details pose a genuine risk to its users, even if every user on the app is personally vetted. It does not take much for one bad actor or a data breach to easily leak information.
Thus, many of the aforementioned features were scrapped, and additions such as a adding an executive assistant contact information section and blurring guest lists for users that do not RSVP to an event were done to address these concerns.
Final Designs
Successes
Created a fully interactable, high fidelity prototype in a short time span (5 weeks).
Established a versatile brand identity with clear guidelines on how Noble can present itself.
Designed the UI and UX with both mobile and desktop users in mind, ensuring both types of users have access to all the same features.
Opportunities
Exploring more features explicitly laid out initially (e.g. settings features, full onboarding).
In-app integration of Noble Summit, with expansions on various areas of the page (such as a filterable schedule)
Due to the short and strict time frame, as well as the unavailability of the user population being incredibly busy, we were unable to secure users for early user tests and preference testing.
Credits
Brand Mockup, Sign In Screen, Noble Summit Screen photography by: Erick Salazar, Dyana So
Brand designed in collaboration with: Dyana So.