
Case Study: The Phil Simon Clinic and The Phil Simon Clinic Tanzania Project Websites
SITUATION
In 2007, The Phil Simon Clinic at Huntington Hospital had a very outdated, non-functional website when they approached me about a redesign. They had specific needs which weren’t being met including ease of navigability, appealing to a number of audiences, and showcasing the HIV clinic they run in Tanzania as a separate but directly-related entity.
CHALLENGE
The Phil Simon Clinic felt that the ideal date for the launch of the website would be World AIDS Day, which was only six weeks away. Not only did this date have great meaning for the Phil Simon Clinic and the work they were doing, but it would also provide them sufficient time to use the site as a tool to raise money and support for their upcoming working trip to Tanzania. They also wanted the Tanzania Project section of the site to have an easily updatable blog and photo gallery for team members to use.
SOLUTION
I suggested a website with an aesthetically clean design that would appeal to most viewers and a much clearer hierarchy of information to help facilitate website navigation. In order to showcase their Tanzania Project, I created a microsite within the website using the same design, but changing out the logo, colors and imagery to ones more appropriate for the story the client wanted to tell. I incorporated a WordPress blog for the Tanzania trip volunteers to post their experiences relating to the trip and a photo gallery that the client could easily update.
RESULT
The website launched on-time and to rave reviews from clinic staff, volunteers, patients, and other medical professionals. The new website is modern, clean, and portrays The Phil Simon Clinic as a progressive, socially-conscious medical facility.
FALL 2017 UPDATE
The Phil Simon Clinic again approached me about recreating their two websites. After a decade, their old HTML-based websites were still functional, but in need of a major update in both design and to incorporate Wordpress site-wide, allowing for the client to be able to update all content as well as incorporating a mobile-friendly version of the website. While the previous designs were fairly dated after a decade, it was easily updatable to a more modern design aesthetic while still maintaining the colors and imagery of the original site, making the transition to the new websites simple for the client and visitors alike.