Johns Hopkins
Category:
UX Design
Duration:
4 Months
Client:
Johns Hopkins
Johns Hopkins Ideas Lab wanted to turn the stories collected by doctors and activists overseas into interactive and engaging experiences on their site. As the UX designer, I wireframed and prototyped an audio-first journey that guided users through photos, visuals, and media while the story played in the background - almost like a podcast that guides a listener through visuals.
I mapped the user journey, exploring how audio could lead the user’s eyes (and clicks) across the page. Wireframes defined layout, content flow, and interactive elements, which became prototypes to test timing, navigation, and usability.
Audio is tricky: should it autoplay? Would that infringe on a user's privacy or complicate accessibility? We tested all of it, making sure users could enjoy the story without hitting “mute” in frustration or missing key pieces of the story.
The audio-first prototype made these stories feel alive. Users could follow the narrative while exploring photos and visuals, turning “scroll and skim” into “listen, look, and feel.” We also tested alternative layouts for the podcast hosted on the page, making sure it worked seamlessly for different user preferences and devices.
