No one should have to face illness alone. Providing a wellspring of information and services for researchers, healthcare professionals, and individuals with vascular conditions – all in one place – the Marfan Foundation creates a purpose-driven community where knowledge can be shared openly and easily. After adding three new divisions that serve people with genetic aortic conditions, The Marfan Foundation knew they were quickly outgrowing their current website. Since Marfan syndrome affects the body’s connective tissues (cells, organs, tissues) – many people with Marfan syndrome live with disabilities, so our primary goals of the new site were to: redesign the site with accessibility first; warm up the brand identity so it felt easier to digest for new individuals and families affected by the condition; and streamline the process for the international medical community to access life-saving research and resources.
Together, we completely overhauled the user experience and restructured Marfan.org so that it could grow and adapt effortlessly with the foundation for the foreseeable future. Keeping their core audience in mind, we wanted to make sure all levels of the website – from font choices to photography – were maximized for screen readers and their growing international community. With a fine-tuned focus on accessibility, the website has become substantially more inclusive, multiplying its potential and expanding its reach.
Three core audiences emerged during the redesign analysis: caregivers, researchers, and healthcare professionals. Caregivers are at the heart of the Marfan community. Researchers are working on funding for a cure against the condition. And healthcare professionals are pivotal in ongoing patient care. The website needed to create a cohesive community for all of these players to interact and feel seen, while still providing specialized resources targeted to each core audience.
With our ideal users aligned, we evolved The Marfan Foundation’s dated brand identity into a fresh and clean style that would not only attract people affected by Marfan syndrome, but would also make information easier to understand and digest.
Since launching in October 2021, Marfan.org has become the go-to place for people affected by Marfan syndrome, researchers, and healthcare professionals. There have 50,237 submissions to the Z-Score Calculator, a diagnostic tool for doctors around the world to evaluate a patient who has features indicative of Marfan syndrome or related conditions.
With an average of 2,000 new active website users per day and each visit averaging just shy of 2 minutes – we consider The Marfan Foundation website to be a huge success both within the Marfan community, as well as in the efforts to help raise awareness of this life-threatening condition around the world.
