Cedars-Sinai "In Your Community"
Hompage
Client
Cedars-Sinai Medical Center
1. The Challenge
Cedars–Sinai set out to create a digital storytelling platform for In Your Community — a campaign amplifying the voices of historically underrepresented groups across Greater Los Angeles. The challenge: design an accessible, emotionally engaging experience that balanced authentic community storytelling with the credibility and trust expected from a leading healthcare institution.
My role was to lead UX and UI design in partnership with Cedars–Sinai’s internal team. Together, we shaped a solution that honored the campaign’s inclusivity goals while upholding the system-wide brand and accessibility standards.
Hompeage
Burger / Menu
Stories
This mobile-first experience was designed to highlight Cedars-Sinai’s local impact across diverse communities in Los Angeles. From community health initiatives to cultural partnerships, the interface brings forward powerful human stories while maintaining accessibility and clarity. Each screen is part of a larger modular system that allows users to explore initiatives, read personal impact stories, and discover local events. The design prioritizes readability, ADA compliance, and intuitive navigation—delivering a cohesive mobile experience that reflects Cedars-Sinai’s values of dignity, inclusion, and care.
3. The Breakthrough Insight
Scroll modules adapted from existing components for editorial pacing.
Accessibility-compliant media embeds and alt text.
Mobile-optimized typography and spacing.
Light/dark themes for readability.
Filter options by community, initiative, and region for easier discovery.
Article
During stakeholder sessions, one DEI team member stated
“We need to stop talking at the community and start talking with them.”
This became the guiding principle for the “In Your Community” campaign. Our design north star was to create an experience that positioned Cedars–Sinai as a trusted partner, not just a broadcaster of information.
Through persona mapping and audience segmentation, we identified four primary groups, each with unique needs and desired outcomes:
Programs
Audiences
Priority Audiences
(AAPI, Black, Latin, Intersecting multi-Identities). Feel seen through content that shifts the perception of Cedars-Sinai
Employees
Share pride in the work
that's being done and the
role they play
This became our design north star determining the core audience
Site Architecture Overview
Mapped clear pathways for Home, Initiatives, and Stories sections, linking high-level overviews to detailed content while reusing shared elements like the footer and forms. Built entirely within Cedars–Sinai’s design system for consistency, scalability, and ease of maintenance.
4. Design Execution
With the research insights and audience needs defined, I translated those findings into clear, accessible user flows and layouts that aligned with Cedars–Sinai’s established design system and component library.
The goal was to define intuitive pathways for browsing and filtering content, ensuring that users could easily discover stories relevant to them—whether by topic, audience type, or location—while preserving the brand’s established look and feel.
Worked within Cedars–Sinai’s existing component library and brand guidelines to design adaptable page layouts and content modules.
Developed user flows and annotated wireframes to map navigation patterns, filtering behaviors, and content hierarchy.
Created low- and mid-fidelity prototypes to facilitate internal reviews, gather feedback, and refine .
Collaborated closely with Cedars–Sinai’s in-house design and development teams to adapt components, ensuring visual consistency, WCAG 2.1 AA compliance, and alignment with the campaign’s storytelling goals.
Hompeage
Primary Menu
Programs
Overview
Stories
This work was fully integrated into Cedars–Sinai’s
existing design system and team workflows.
5. Collaboration with Cedars
Working within Cedars–Sinai’s established design system and in close partnership with their AEM team, I collaborated across UX, content, and development to implement campaign-specific enhancements that stayed
on-brand and met accessibility standards.
These updates enabled the site to easily accommodate and showcase future stories.
Los Angeles Population
Increase trust and credibility in the work Cedars-Sinai does in LA
“Stories” Category Expanded
2. Discovery & Research
I partnered with Cedars–Sinai’s UX, accessibility, and content leads to assess how their existing design system and component library could be extended to support long-form content, video modules, and rich user pathways for the “In Your Community” campaign.
This stage focused on balancing audience needs with brand and technical constraints, ensuring that any new layouts or interactions would integrate seamlessly into Cedars–Sinai’s digital ecosystem.
Key initiatives included:
Conducting a non-clinical content audit to identify opportunities for improvement in storytelling and structure.
Interviewing DEI advocates and editorial stakeholders to understand the nuances of content tone and representation.
Running accessibility testing (screen readers, browsers, mobile) to validate compliance with accessibility .
Reviewing regional audience behaviors and past performance metrics to inform navigation and content hierarchy decisions.
We prioritized:
Establishing a stronger visual hierarchy using Cedars–Sinai’s design language.
Creating scalable narrative modules that could be easily updated and reused.
Maintaining compliance while ensuring the content carried emotional depth and community authenticity.
6. Measured Impact
The campaign hub, built within Cedars–Sinai’s design system and in close collaboration with their internal teams, became a model for DEI-focused digital communications. It provided a scalable, accessible platform for highlighting community partnerships and initiatives.
Elevated Local Voices
The platform created space for stories from underserved and overlooked communities, featuring partnerships with over 200 organizations.
Humanized Healthcare
By featuring real people and authentic impact stories, Cedars–Sinai reinforced its commitment to culturally sensitive, patient-centered care.
Strengthened Community Trust
Publicly showcasing these initiatives increased transparency and strengthened trust between Cedars–Sinai and the diverse communities it serves.
Celebrated Diversity
From Thai Town’s Songkran Festival to Latinx health leaders, the hub reflected Los Angeles’ rich cultural fabric, helping every visitor feel represented.
7. Final Reflection
This project was a reminder that impactful digital experiences don’t have to be built from scratch. By adapting Cedars–Sinai’s existing design system and working closely with their internal teams, we delivered a campaign hub that felt native to their ecosystem while elevating community voices.
The result was a scalable, accessible platform that can grow with new DEI stories and initiatives — proof that when strategy, storytelling, and established systems work together, the outcome can be both sustainable and meaningful.
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Collaborated with Cedars–Sinai’s internal UX team to adapt their existing design system for long-form, human-centered storytelling. Led discovery with DEI, accessibility, and editorial leads, then created user journeys, site architecture, and prototypes to support campaign goals. Partnered closely with the AEM and development teams to ensure structural, compliance, and accessibility alignment.
Community Partners
Feel moved to act with an
initiative and join the work
Hey, I’m Mario
A UX designer actively looking for new opportunities. I’m excited to bring thoughtful, research-driven design driven by purpose, creativity, and meaningful impact.
Reach me at mfp181@gmail.com.