In my time working as a Consumer Engagement Strategy Analyst at Incyte, I worked on a telehealth experience for one of our top derm products, Opzelura. From learning the ins and outs of MLR to finding workarounds, I devised strategic designs that could help reduce the bounce rate and increase the completion rate by a projected 20%. The result: a clear, digestible, and quick process that made it easier for users to follow through till the end.
Opzelura Telehealth
Enhancing a telehealth experience for patients with chronic skin conditions to book a virtual consultation with ease.
DEMO/LIVE PROTOTYPE
ROLE
Solo UX/UI Designer, User Researcher, Data Analyst
TIME
6 Months
TOOLS
Figma
Please note: This work was conducted under pharma compliance standards, where medical, legal, and regulatory (MLR) review shaped design decisions. I was granted permission to share these designs, and all visuals presented respect those requirements. 💼
PROBLEM
What problem am I trying to solve?
Opzelura’s original telehealth experience suffered from dense text, unclear & discouraging wording, inconsistency in UI design, and inaccessibility.
These issues made the experience overwhelming, and like a chore.
INITIAL RESEARCH
Understanding Telehealth & Sympathizing with Patients
Why is telehealth important?
80%
of dermatology patients appreciate the faster access to specialists through teledermatology compared to traditional referrals.
Source: JAAD
75%
increase in access through teledermatology consultations.
Source: ClinMed Library
30%
healthcare cost reduction by teledermatology, especially in underserved regions.
Source: ClinMed Library
Why are the conditions I’m solving for important?
Learning about the indications
I thought it would be important to take a step back and look at some research done regarding the mental state of those with vitiligo and atopic dermatitis, to help me get a feel of how some potential users may be feeling when starting the telehealth experience.
VITILIGO
The chronic and visible symptoms of vitiligo negatively impact patients’ quality of life and self-esteem, often leading to social withdrawal. - International Journal of Dermatology
“Vitiligo has taught me to embrace my uniqueness, but the emotional rollercoaster is real, especially when flare-ups happen.”
ATOPIC DERMATITIS
Children and adults with atopic dermatitis frequently report feelings of embarrassment and lowered self-confidence, affecting daily social interactions. - Pediatric Dermatology
"Dealing with eczema isn’t just physical; it impacts my confidence and how I interact socially."
Who am I solving for?
Target Audience
Patients or guardians of patients aged 18–65 with vitiligo or atopic dermatitis typically seeking convenient, expert dermatological care through digital platforms to manage chronic skin conditions with flexible, remote treatment options.
User Personas
Adeline, a 20-year-old college student with moderate eczema who prioritizes digital healthcare consultations to save time and money. Richard, a 65-year-old retiree with mild eczema who prefers a quick, easy, simple process to deal with a minor health inconvenience. Melissa, a 40-year-old marketing associate who has a son with vitiligo who seeks a trustworthy dermatologist to support her child.
Site Audit - Key Takeaways
In order to locate areas for improvement and compare strengths with weaknesses, I evaluated the original experience across desktop and mobile. While my main focus was on mobile - since most users engaged there - I compared it with desktop as well.
Findings:
Dense & heavy text all over the pages
Distracting text animations
Unorganized & improperly prioritized information hierarchy
Where do the critical issues reside?
DISCOVERY
When analyzing data reports from the original telehealth experience, there was a large drop-off rate in between metrics in all parts of the process.
From the landing page to booking appointments, I dug through to find reasons why users were abandoning the experience.
Landing Page Issues
The places with the highest drop-off rates included the Opzelura landing page to the Populus landing page, and the Populus landing page to starting the medical history survey.
1
Overloaded Layout
The pages felt visually overwhelming - tight spacing, small text, and no breathing room made it hard for users to process information quickly.
2
Misleading CTAs
“BOOK MY VISIT“ led users to a survey, not a booking flow - this mismatch likely triggered confusion and reduced trust.
3
Lack of Trust Signals
The absence of testimonials or reviews weakened credibility and user confidence in Opzelura’s telehealth experience.
4
Intrusive Pop-ups
Persistent overlays interrupted the experience and didn’t disappear or minimize on scroll. I explored compliant design alternatives to reduce friction while respecting legal constraints.
Survey Issues
There were many points in the survey where there were drops of users moving on to the next step, so I looked into that next.
1
Brand Inconsistency
The survey looked and felt like a separate product, which could make users question if they were still in the right place.
2
Unclear Progress
The progress bar didn’t show how many steps were left - this ambiguity could leave users uncertain about time commitment and lead to premature drop-offs.
3
Harsh Language & Poor Guidance
The image upload step, which had a large drop-off rate, lacked context and felt demanding; without knowing why it was needed, users were more likely to disengage.
4
Navigation Confusion
Forward/back arrows kept shifting positions and sometimes acted as CTAs, which disrupted flow and added cognitive load.
5
Accessibility Tips
The color palette had low contrast, making it harder to read - especially for users with visual impairments, which is a major usability oversight.
PROBLEM STATEMENT
“As a patient managing a chronic skin condition, I feel discouraged and confused when trying to book a virtual consultation through Opzelura’s telehealth platform. The cluttered layout, vague instructions, and inconsistent design make the process feel more clinical rather than compassionate.”
UX RESEARCH
Competitive Analysis
To get an understanding of the general telehealth experience as well as monitor competitors, I conducted two competitive analyses across 6+ brands - one for the landing pages before starting a telehealth experience, and one for the survey process. I chose to look at telehealth companies like Dr House, Plushcare, and Honeydew. I also thought it would be useful to look into product brands with an internal telehealth experience, similar to Opzelura telehealth, such as Nurx, Ro, and Curology.
I evaluated each based on:
Landing Page:
Information architecture and hierarchy
Inclusion of helpful features
Navigation
Survey:
Time to completion
Organization and execution
Engagement
By looking at all these experiences, I found our missing link:
Earning user trust in Opzelura Telehealth.
Users need to trust our product so they continue through the telehealth process.
All the brands aimed to have confidence built within their patients through 3 main tactics - credibility, visual aid, and chunking information. Here are suggestions for Opzelura telehealth based on my findings and psychology.
1
Credibility
Add patient text/video reviews, stories, statistics, and brand partnerships to show that our site can be trusted.
PSYCHOLOGY BEHIND THIS: People like confirmation/advice from others before trying something new.
2
Visual Aid
Incorporate graphics, images, icons, video snippets, and anything else visual to accompany the heavy text.
PSYCHOLOGY BEHIND THIS: People are visual learners and understand images much faster than reading and processing text.
3
Chunking Information
Split up the text into more spacious sections so it is easier for users to digest. Make the text more breathable.
PSYCHOLOGY BEHIND THIS: People tend to skim or skip over dense areas of text.
I believe that if we implemented these same strategies, we too would be able to earn user trust in our product which would encourage users to continue through the telehealth process.
DESIGN PROCESS
Mockups & Ideation
LANDING PAGE
I started exploring layout ideas based on my findings from the site audit and competitive analysis, focusing on the places where the highest drop-off was. I aimed to make the content on each of these pages more digestible and trustworthy.
After several rounds of iteration - experimenting with brand colors, graphics, sectioning information, and organization formats - I finally landed on a design.
A few strategic decisions included:
🎯 Condensing and prioritizing the text
🎯 Implementing encouraging and guiding wording
🎯 Adding supporting visual aid
POPULUS SURVEY
I iterated on UI designs and layouts according to my research and my competitive analysis, with a target of making the content in each step of the survey clearer and more engaging.
After lots of trial and error with color choices, styling, and wording, I was able to put together a solid new flow that was more user-friendly, encouraging, and I also shortened the time to completion.
A few strategic decisions included:
🎯 Making the progress bar more informational/transparent
🎯 Aligning the UI design with Opzelura’s brand identity
🎯 Encouraging consistency with layout for ease of navigation, but breaking the norm of text-based questions by using supporting imagery to keep the user engaged
FINAL TOUCHES
Wrapping up with feedback-based fixes
After reviewing my designs with stakeholders who had previous experience with how medical legal review approves digital product designs, I got slight feedback on my wording and new functionality ideas:
“Talk to a doctor now” -> “Talk to a doctor online”
Including the word “now“ may be misleading or not applicable to certain situations
Collapsible full prescribing information
May not be allowed, but could still propose to MLR since we’ve seen competitors use this functionality
RESULTS
The redesign fulfilled all initial objectives:
Added credibility and trust to increase completion rates
Implemented icons, images, and other forms of visual aid to increase information absorption
Sectioned and organized information to increase clarity and digestion
This project was my first experience with UX in the pharma industry and as a solo designer in a company. I loved the journey of presenting my own ideas and strengthening myself as a communicator whilst collaborating with supporting teams for feedback for iterations.
Check out my full design flow!
TAKEAWAYS
Things that I learned
Redesigning a telehealth experience as the only UX designer in the company gave me an understanding of the design challenges that lie within the pharma industry. Lots of planning and strategy are involved when planning a new design, and I was able to enhance my data analysis, UI, and research skills through this project. I also learned about the sensitivity of these projects due to legal restraints and patients themselves, and how to navigate different teams to get the right advice.
Next Steps
If I were to take this project further, I’d conduct usability testing with patients who have the conditions I’m solving for. I’d also explore designing a “book-your-own appointment” section so users can plan and have control over when they would like to meet with the doctor, rather than the current way of the doctor and patient figuring it out through internal communication.