CHRU

Rebuilding South Africa's leading HIV research unit website

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Industry

Clinical Research & Healthcare

Timeline

6 months

Services

Web Design, Webflow Development, CMS Architecture, Information Architecture

Overview

The Clinical HIV Research Unit is the leading infectious diseases clinical research unit in South Africa. Their previous site was structurally flawed — organised around internal thinking rather than audience needs. We rebuilt it over 6 months to serve patients, researchers, and funders simultaneously.

The Challenge

Three distinct audiences — anxious patients, evaluating researchers, and assessing funders — arriving at the same site with entirely different needs. Navigation assumed prior knowledge, visual inconsistencies undermined credibility, and authority signals were buried. Patient pathways were unclear and anxiety-inducing.

Our Approach

Weeks of information architecture mapping before any design work. Layered navigation organised around recognisable categories with each section serving its primary audience first. A Webflow design system of reusable components ensured visual consistency structurally. CMS collections for research, trials, team, and news gave the team full editorial independence.

Results

Here's what the project delivered — measurable outcomes that speak for themselves.

Audience Paths

3 distinct journeys

CMS Independence

Full editorial control

Project Duration

6 months

Content Sections

Research, Trials, Patient Info

FAQs

Frequently asked questions

Common questions about the CHRU project.

We mapped three distinct user journeys and structured layered navigation around recognisable categories, with each section serving its primary audience first — so patients aren't asked to read like researchers and vice versa.

Most of the early work was information architecture, not design. We spent weeks mapping content, audiences and patient pathways before opening a design tool, which is what made the launched site coherent rather than just refreshed.

Yes. We built CMS collections for research, trials, team and news inside a Webflow design system of reusable components — the team has full editorial independence while visual consistency is enforced structurally.