The Challenge
Adults newly diagnosed with Celiac Disease often feel overwhelmed, under-informed, and unsupported in the immediate post-diagnosis phase — lacking a central resource that anticipates their needs and guides them with clarity and confidence.
My Role & Ownership
I led every stage of the project — from research planning and participant recruiting, through synthesis, concepting, prototype design, and tonality testing — grounding each decision in user insights and iterative feedback.
Context & Constraints
Broad initial topic required focused scoping to a high-impact area
Participants varied widely in Celiac experience and needs
Needed to balance emotional support with practical guidance
Academic timeline limited extended evaluative testing
Key Decisions
Narrow Focus to Immediate Post-Diagnosis Support
Research synthesis revealed that the most impactful design opportunity was the period immediately after diagnosis, when people feel most uncertain and crave reliable, organized support.
Combined Physical & Digital Support System
I chose to create a hybrid solution — a starter kit for immediate guidance and a website for ongoing support — because research showed users valued both tangible reassurance and progressive, contextual learning.
The Solution
Beacon: A hybrid support system designed to give people diagnosed with Celiac Disease a clear sense of direction, emotional affirmation, and actionable resources from day one.
Key features:
Physical Starter Kit: Curated essentials for immediate confidence and support
Website Organized by Journey Stage: Progressive information architecture tailored to a newly diagnosed person’s unfolding needs
Relatable Tone & Imagery: Communication choices informed by tonality testing with users
“Just Diagnosed” to “Living Life” Pathways: Actionable steps, resources, filtering tools, and mentor connections
Physical starter kit
Beacon.com
Homepage
Just Diagnosed
Living Life
Learning More
Find a Mentor
Outcomes & Impact
Delivered a research-validated concept that aligns emotional needs with practical support
Synthesized extensive user insights into clear design differentiators and functional requirements
Created prototype artifacts demonstrating both form and strategic intent for Beacon
Shared and presented the design in a final academic review, demonstrating maturation of thinking and execution
Reflection
This project refined my ability to:
Balance scope focus within a broad open brief
Translate deep qualitative insight into concrete design requirements
Integrate tone and empathy into functional digital products
Use iterative feedback to challenge assumptions and test design decisions