Launching a COVID-19 Vaccine Website
Client
Pfizer
Year
2024
Role
Lead Experience Designer
Project Type
Marketing Design
UX Design
UI Design
For confidentiality, I have omitted and obfuscated certain information in this case study. All information here is my own and does not necessarily reflect the views of the named client.
In 2024, the team at Agency C* faced a significant challenge: launching Pfizer's 2024-2025 COVID-19 Vaccine website for Healthcare Providers (HCP) on a tight deadline. As a UX designer from my company “on loan” to a sister agency’s project, I faced challenges that tested my adaptability, leadership, and technical skills. Agency C, barely a year old, was tasked with supporting the Client's digital presence. With its rapid formation, the young agency lacked digital expertise and strong leadership.
*The name of the agency has been redacted.
The project's scope was daunting:
Managing 3 websites with 6 separate releases within a two-month timeframe
Navigating FDA healthcare regulations and a strict launch timeline
Working without an established component design system nor brand voice
Overcoming limited digital expertise within the team
To meet these challenges, I found myself stepping into multiple roles: UI designer, agile project manager, QA specialist, and creative lead. This multifaceted approach allowed me to bridge the gap between traditional advertising and modern digital development needs.
Implementing agile methodologies for timely launches
Faced with evolving project scope and strict hourly deadlines, the team struggled to adapt agile in such a rigid environment. To encourage this process, I made sure to:
Educate the team on Figma and Jira
Implement streamlined workflows and meeting schedules
Prioritize critical features to meet tight timelines
Run design reviews directly with client to ensure timely feedback
This approach allowed us to adapt quickly to changing requirements.
Same product, two different brands
Due to FDA regulations, the same COVID-19 vaccine product had to be marketed in two different ways to its younger patient audience versus those over 12 years of age, resulted in inconsistent navigations.
Despite the challenges, we successfully launched Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine healthcare provider website in sync with the 2024-2025 COVID-19 vaccine release. This achievement delivered critical healthcare information on time to doctors and demonstrated the value of UX expertise in traditional advertising environments.
This project taught me several valuable lessons about personal and professional growth:
Setting personal boundaries: In a fast-paced environment with multiple roles, it was crucial to establish clear boundaries to maintain focus and productivity. This involved prioritizing tasks, communicating effectively with the team, and ensuring that my availability and responsibilities were well-defined.
Confidence in design: With imposter syndrome being something that I often deal with, this experience gave me a rare, surprising boost of self-confidence, helping me to advocate for my design solutions even in challenging circumstances. As designers, it matters to count to our wins whenever we can.
Patience with the process: In reality, this project was not ideal in a lot of ways. It was clear through my interactions with Pharmaceutical Company that the industry as a whole was not prepared for a digital launch, and that resistance from a regulatory perspective should've been expected. Resistance, rather than acceptance, towards common UX heuristics was unfortunately the norm. At the end of the day, learning to choose the battles to fight helped save my sanity and productivity.
