CommonSpirit Health Digital Transformation & Unified UX Experience
The project involved migrating three distinct, outdated websites—CommonSpirit Health, CHI Health, and Dignity Health—to a unified Adobe Experience Manager (AEM) platform.
CommonSpirit is the parent organization of Dignity Health
Worked for all the three websites Commonspirit, CHI Health and Dignity Health
Executive Summary
This case study outlines the digital transformation of CommonSpirit Health, a major non-profit Catholic health system. The project involved migrating three distinct, outdated websites—CommonSpirit Health, CHI Health, and Dignity Health—to a unified Adobe Experience Manager (AEM) platform. This initiative aimed to resolve significant technical debt, fragmented user experiences, and operational inefficiencies.
The previous digital infrastructure suffered from outdated technology, slow performance, and a complex system with hundreds of components and over 1,000 pages, each with unique content and three disparate design systems. The strategic adoption of Adobe AEM provided a scalable, cost-effective, and streamlined solution, emphasizing a mobile-first, modern, and user-friendly design, along with improved network performance visibility.
Key achievements included a significant increase in website traffic, new lead generation, and subscriber growth. The project also substantially improved usability, accessibility, responsiveness, and overall site performance. This transformation highlights the crucial role of UX in driving large-scale digital change and delivering measurable value for a leading healthcare organization.
Introduction: The CommonSpirit Health Digital Landscape
CommonSpirit Health is a leading non-profit Catholic health system, formed in 2019 from Catholic Health Initiatives and Dignity Health. It operates over 2,200 care sites across 24 states. The digital transformation focused on the websites for CommonSpirit Health, CHI Health (its Midwest Division ), and Dignity Health. Previously, these entities had separate websites, distinct design systems, and ran on outdated technology, leading to a fragmented digital ecosystem with hundreds of components and over 1,000 pages [User Query]. This fragmentation hindered CommonSpirit's strategic goal of becoming a "unified ministry" and undermined its "Hello humankindness" brand platform
Role
UX Designer
Tools
Figma, Miro..
Team
Solo Designer
Timeline
12 Months
The Challenge: Navigating Legacy Systems and Fragmented Experiences
CommonSpirit Health faced significant challenges due to its legacy digital infrastructure:
Outdated Technology: All three websites ran on an "old outdated technology platform," causing "slow response times," system complexity, and "resource-heavy troubleshooting". This led to poor Core Web Vitals and negatively impacted SEO.
Fragmented User Experience: The presence of "three different design systems" created inconsistent user journeys, and the interfaces "lacked modern trends and a user-friendly appeal" [User Query]. Managing "hundreds of components and over 1,000 pages" with unique content was cumbersome.
Operational Inefficiencies & Risks: The outdated systems led to high maintenance costs and slow development cycles. Crucially, they posed compliance risks regarding HIPAA and ADA standards, potentially leading to legal issues and loss of patient trust. Low patient engagement and conversion rates also indicated a failure to support business goals.
This combination of technical and UX debt created a significant barrier to delivering a consistent, modern, and user-centric experience, impacting both operational efficiency and patient trust.
Core Challenges:
Significant technical debt and operational inefficiencies.
Outdated technology platform with slow performance.
Complex system with hundreds of components and over 1,000 pages.
Three disparate design systems leading to fragmented user experiences.
Lack of modern design trends and user-friendly interfaces.
Strategic Solution:
Adoption of Adobe AEM as a scalable, cost-effective, and streamlined platform.
Emphasis on a mobile-first, modern, and user-friendly design.
Improved network performance visibility.
Key Achievements:
Significant increase in website traffic.
Growth in new lead generation.
Increase in subscriber numbers.
Substantial improvements in usability, accessibility, responsiveness, and overall site performance.
Overall Impact:
The transformation highlights the crucial role of UX in driving large-scale digital change and delivering measurable value for a leading healthcare organization.
Lessons Learned & Key Takeaways
The project provided invaluable lessons for large-scale digital initiatives:
Unified Design Systems are Imperative: Consolidating three distinct design systems was crucial for efficiency, scalability, and brand cohesion, reducing technical debt and development time.
Strategic Phased Migration: A phased rollout minimized risks for a project involving over 1,000 pages, allowing for continuous feedback and minimizing disruption to critical healthcare services.
Data-Driven UX is Foundational: Relying on objective data from audits, user research, and post-launch monitoring ensured the redesign addressed actual pain points and delivered measurable outcomes.
AEM as a Transformative Enabler: AEM was more than a CMS; its scalability, security, and personalization features were fundamental to future-proofing the digital infrastructure and enabling continuous innovation.
Cross-Functional Alignment & Training are Critical: Successful integration and user adoption required close collaboration across teams and comprehensive, role-based training, building internal competency.
This project serves as a foundational success story for CommonSpirit Health's broader digital maturity journey, including its "One CommonSpirit 2026 roadmap" and future EHR consolidation.
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