Macmillan Cancer Support: Re-designing a Charity Around the People It Serves
Defined Macmillan’s future digital experience strategy through user research, journeys, and service propositions—shifting the organisation to a user-first mindset, connecting fragmented experiences, and laying the foundation for integrated, digital-first transformation.
A key new service proposition focused on an individual’s personal interface with Macmillan: a tailored, smart, and evolving tool to help people find their best way through treatment and beyond.
🧭 Challenge
Macmillan’s digital experience wasn’t keeping pace with user expectations. Patients, carers, and fundraisers faced fragmented journeys across platforms and struggled to find support or contribute meaningfully.
🎯 What I did
Working closely with the Head of Strategy, UX Design Lead and Account Director, we…
Experience Strategy & Proposition Design
We developed a customer-centered digital experience strategy rooted in Macmillan’s dual business model: helping those who get support (patients) and those who give support (fundraisers, carers, donors). This work included identifying the emotional and functional needs at every stage of the cancer journey.
Qualitative Research & Persona Development
We conducted qualitative research and workshops to define 11 personas across "get" and "give" audiences, revealing a diverse range of motivations, expectations, and barriers to access and engagement.
Journey Mapping & Experience Propositions
Each persona was supported by mapped journeys and experience propositions that defined ideal-state outcomes. We created sample interactions to illustrate what a seamless Macmillan digital experience should feel like, emotionally and functionally.
Ecosystem Mapping & Channel Strategy
We produced a comprehensive ecosystem map that outlined how content, services, and tools should align across key platforms. This included channel roles, content strategy, and integration recommendations to support more consistent, intuitive experiences.
We developed journeys for several cancer patient personas with various levels of need from Macmillan
Each journey included areas for intervention with service propositions
Another service proposition based on a personalised network of support
✨ How it helped
User-Centered Reframe: Shifted the organization’s view from internal content structure to external user needs.
Connected Journeys: Created clarity around how different user segments interact with Macmillan across touchpoints.
Strategic Tools for Delivery: Provided personas, ecosystem models, and experience blueprints to guide teams in prioritizing features and content.
A Foundation for Transformation: Enabled Macmillan to move toward a truly integrated, digital-first service model that reflects the lived experiences of their audiences.
