Designing a Recovery Platform That Reduces Friction in Critical Moments

Transforming a fragmented nonprofit website into an accessible, trust-centered support platform that helps individuals find resources, attend events, and connect with help when they need it most.

CLIENT

Never Alone Recovery

INDUSTRY

Healthcare | Nonprofit

MY ROLE

Lead Product Designer

Website

CHALLENGE

The existing website lacked clear organization, making it difficult for users to quickly locate resources, understand available services, and take meaningful action. The challenge was to redesign the experience to reduce cognitive load, improve accessibility, and create clear pathways toward help.

WHAT I DID

Conducted usability research, evaluated information architecture, redesigned navigation systems, simplified content hierarchy, and created a more supportive experience focused on helping users quickly find resources, register for events, and connect with assistance.

RESULT

+34% visit duration
+10% site views
-5% bounce rate

Understanding Users in High-Emotion Situations

Unlike traditional websites, many visitors arriving at Never Alone Recovery were already navigating difficult circumstances. Some users were searching for support for themselves. Others were helping family members or loved ones. Research revealed that confusion within the experience often amplified feelings of uncertainty and overwhelm.

Many participants struggled to determine:

Where to begin
What resources were available
How to register for events
How to contact the organization directly

The experience needed to do more than provide information. It needed to create confidence.

Identifying Friction Points

Resource discovery: users struggled to locate support programs and recovery resources.
Event registration: important registration opportunities were often overlooked.
Navigation complexity: content was distributed across multiple sections without a clear hierarchy.
Contact Visibility: critical contact pathways were difficult to find when users needed immediate support.

Reimagining the Information Architecture

Rather than introducing new features, I focused on simplifying the experience. The redesign centered around helping users answer three questions as quickly as possible:

"I need help" - how do I get support?
"I want to attend" - what programs and events are available
"I want to learn more" - what resources exist for me and my family?

Designing for Emotional Clarity

The goal wasn't simply to improve usability. The goal was to reduce anxiety and uncertainty.

To accomplish this, I redesigned the experience around:

Clear navigation systems
Scannable content layouts
Simplified information hierarchy
Consistent calls-to-action
Supportive, approachable messaging

Every design decision focused on helping users move forward with confidence.

Creating Clear Paths to Action

One of the primary goals was helping users quickly identify what action to take next.

The redesigned experience introduced clearer pathways for:

Event registration
Program discovery
Resource exploration
Volunteer opportunities
Contacting the organization

By reducing decision-making complexity, users were able to engage with greater confidence and less friction.

Building Trust Through Community

Recovery is deeply personal, and trust plays a critical role in whether users engage with support services.

The redesigned experience emphasized:

Community involvement
Upcoming events
Real support opportunities
Transparent organizational information

This helped reinforce credibility while creating a more welcoming and approachable experience. The redesigned platform transformed Never Alone Recovery from a fragmented informational website into a guided support experience. By simplifying navigation, clarifying pathways, and prioritizing human connection, the redesign helped more users access resources, engage with programs, and reach out for support.

WHAT’S NEXT STARTS HERE.

Get in touch at csoozee25@gmail.com