CaeNDR.org provides data and tools used in comparative genetics to the scientific community. As part of Northwestern IT's Media and Technology Innovation team, I led all design efforts to redesign CaeNDR into a new, interactive toolkit centered around a genomic database available to researchers worldwide, resulting in an 87% increase in average monthly site visits and a 23% increase in average time on site.
The Caenorhabditis Natural Diversity Resource (caendr.org) provides data and tools used in comparative genetics research to the scientific community.
The previous incarnation of the site (elegansvariation.org) only provided information about one species of nematode (C. elegans) to researchers. When principal investigator Dr. Erik Andersen received a National Science Foundation grant to add additional nematode species, Northwestern IT's Media and Technology Innovation team was enlisted to redesign the site to support additional species and improve the usability and navigation experience of the site.
As senior UX/UI designer on Northwestern IT's Media and Technology Innovation team, I re-envisioned the prior elegansvariation.org into an interactive toolkit centered around a dynamic genomic database.
I led all design efforts for the project, including UX strategy, information architecture, wireframes and interactive prototypes, usability testing, user-acceptance testing, and WCAG accessibility evaluation leading to the creation of a style guide and the implementation of a front-end design system based on Bootstrap 5. I then worked collaboratively with the development team to ensure that implementation could be completed quickly and smoothly.
As a result, the redesigned site features an interactive map and genomic database on the homepage which highlights the natural diversity of the various nematode species, an improved ecommerce experience, improved usability for the various genomic tools, and an improved admin experience for developers and researchers.
