End HIV

Designing Clarity and Credibility for a High-Stakes Mission

As lead designer and strategist, I partnered with the Abzyme Research Foundation to reimagine the EndHIV digital experience. I developed the UX and content framework that translated complex science into an accessible, human story and built credibility for a groundbreaking HIV vaccine initiative.

The Challenge

The Abzyme Research Foundation set out to fund a revolutionary HIV vaccine, blending art, science, and celebrity to inspire action. But its outdated website lacked structure and focus, leaving visitors confused and unmotivated.

We were tasked with building a new experience from the ground up, one that translated complex science into accessible language and inspired both engagement and trust. The challenge was to connect two audiences: younger users drawn by cultural energy, and donors seeking scientific credibility.

My Role

As lead designer and strategist, I guided the transformation of research insights into a clear and emotionally resonant digital experience.

Key contributions:

  • Led stakeholder interviews and synthesized insights into design direction

  • Defined content architecture and user flows

  • Crafted UX copy to simplify scientific concepts

  • Developed storytelling and voice strategy to balance credibility and optimism

Research

Through interviews, surveys, and heuristic evaluations, we identified core barriers to engagement:

  • Users wanted transparency about the science, funding, and people behind the effort.

  • Terms like “abzyme” and “DNA fusion vaccine” needed context and clarity.

  • Calls to action were unclear, and visitors struggled to understand their role.

  • Despite celebrity involvement, the story lacked cohesion and emotional depth.

These insights grounded our approach: build credibility through clarity, and connection through storytelling.

Strategy

Our design strategy focused on four key goals:

  • Simplify the science. Use plain language and visuals to explain innovation.

  • Lead with purpose. Make impact and progress immediately visible.

  • Design for dual audiences. Create easy engagement for younger users and trust for donors.

  • Tell a complete story. Connect the who, what, and why into a cohesive narrative that motivates action.

We also established tone guidelines that reflected the campaign’s character: passionate, transparent, and grounded in real science.

Design & Prototyping

Through iterative prototyping and usability testing, we refined content and flow to make information accessible and calls to action clear.

Focus areas:

  • Language clarity: Simplified terminology and refined headlines for better comprehension.

  • Navigation flow: Streamlined donation paths and improved visibility of next steps.

  • Visual hierarchy: Elevated core messages and actions across devices.

The result was a mobile-first site that combined education and inspiration, with integrated sharing tools to expand campaign reach.

The Outcome

The redesigned site brought cohesion to the story and confidence to the mission. We delivered a clear homepage, a plain-language science explainer, and donor-focused content emphasizing transparency and impact.

Created in close partnership with the foundation, the new experience united clarity, credibility, and conviction. It helped visitors understand what the foundation stands for, how the vaccine works, and why their involvement matters.

Impact at a Glance

  • 75% increase in visitor understanding of the vaccine’s purpose (post-launch survey)

  • 2× faster path to donation through simplified flows

  • Higher engagement with explainer content and donor FAQs

  • 100% mobile-friendly experience enabling social sharing

  • Scalable design system supporting future campaigns