Case Study
Neurosurgical Atlas
Saving lives through the most comprehensive, digital collection of advanced microneurosurgical techniques
01
The Challenge
To help the Atlas improve their user experience to more effectively share content and expand their audience of neurosurgeons and students.
02
The Approach
Ongoing website maintenance and one-off projects to deliver an experience that helps neurosurgeons and students find content they need wherever they are.
03
The Outcome
Continued enhancements backed by thoughtful research and strategic implementations including real-time search and a custom mobile app.
Client Introduction
Neurosurgical online resources
The Neurosurgical Atlas is an online educational resource that contains the most comprehensive digital collection of advanced microneurosurgical techniques curated by Dr. Aaron Cohen-Gadol, Professor of Neurosurgery at Goodman Campbell Brain and Spine.
Project at a Glance
What Our Team Provided
Solutions
- Search & Discovery
- Custom Software
- Websites
Technologies
How it started
A trusted partner since 2014
We’ve been working with Dr. Aaron Cohen-Gadol at the Neurosurgical Atlas since 2014. Over the years, the goal with the Atlas has remained: to advance the field of neurosurgery by providing neurosurgeons and students with accessible, in-depth material. We’ve become the Atlas’s trusted technical partner, tackling issues big and small to design and build a better digital experience for their 25,000+ registered members.
Search & Discovery
Optimizing the search experience
The Atlas offers over 1,300 pieces of unique content in the form of videos, images, webinars, and scholarly articles. Results from a user survey we conducted indicated that optimizing search was a top priority for improving the website experience. So, we delivered a real-time search experience, building a custom add-on for ExpressionEngine that integrates Algolia with the Atlas website creating the optimal search solution. The new search system allows members to find content more quickly and easily.
Mobile App
Accessing Atlas on-the-go
The motivation to build a native iOS and Android mobile app for the Atlas was twofold: to make content more accessible to users on the go—even in the operating room—and to expand the Atlas audience through increased exposure by appearing in mobile app stores.
We set out to build the app as a reliable MVP to provide a stable base for future enhancements. This allowed us to build rapidly and iterate as needs change. The first version of the mobile app was a success featuring fresh design, voice-driven search, and touch-activated 3D models.
Brand refresh
New look & feel
The design and launch of the Atlas mobile app prompted the development of a new logo design that could function well across the app, website, and beyond. We explored a range of concepts, from concrete to conceptual, ultimately designing a stylized mark of the brain that scales well and represents the organization’s innovative work in neurosurgical education. We used this as an opportunity to refresh the Atlas’ other brand elements, documenting logo use, color, and typography in a new style guide.
UX Improvements
Removing Roadblocks, Adding Clarity
As a result of a UX Audit, we focused our efforts on some usability concerns across the Atlas website. Analytics, user surveys, and click tracking revealed specific areas of user friction, including roadblocks for users trying to signup to access additional free content. We made small adjustments to clarify messaging and eliminate confusion. New member signups tripled after we made the changes.
Retained Services
Support & Maintenance
As the Neurosurgical Atlas continues to help advance the field of neurosurgery, we continue to help advance the Atlas’s digital presence in both big and small strides. Maintaining the Atlas website has been the common thread in all our work. Our team has kept the website running smoothly, recommended and implemented critical improvements, and performed a number of ExpressionEngine upgrades. In addition to the successful, lasting partnership we’ve built with Dr. Cohen-Gadol over the years, it brings meaning to our work knowing that the products we support can help save lives.
Client Testimonials
"“The team at Foster Made is beyond extraordinary and amazing. As a neurosurgeon, I have very high expectations for perfection and they satisfied all my requests and beyond.”"
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