Genmab
Background
Genmab is a global biotech company focused on antibody therapeutics for cancer and other serious diseases.
The Challenge
There was a flood of investment into pharma and biotechnology during COVID, however after this, the market became more challenging and Genmab needed to evolve from a mostly R&D focussed business to one that could successfully commercialise its innovations.
A new website was needed that could better communicate Genmab’s vision, provide more credibility for investors, plus attract commercial partners and talent which would enable them to scale the business.
My role
Lead UX / Product Designer within an agency team, collaborating with: Strategy Director, Digital Creative Director, Senior Designer, UX Designer, and Project Manager.
Worked closely with the client’s core project team and wider stakeholders, alongside their offshore development team.
- Client: Genmab
- Agency: Brunswick
- Type: Corporate website
- Platform: Web
- Industry: Biotech, Pharma
Bronze Winner 2024
Best use of digital – healthcare + pharmaceutical
Discovery + Research
- The first challenge was to get a better understanding of Genmab’s requirements for the new site and to understand the needs of their primary users.
- For this, we undertook a series of workshops with the client and followed this with competitor analysis and mapping sessions.
Hero, Hub + Help workshops
We ran Hero, Hub and Help workshops with different Genmab teams to identify the content types needed to meet user needs more effectively.
Competitor UX Audit
I conducted a full audit benchmarking Genmab’s site against key competitors. While the structure was strong, the site was let down by jargon-heavy language, low visual engagement, and a lack of storytelling.
Industry Patterns & Pain Points
Across the sector, sites often struggled with mobile support for infographics, accessibility issues, and overwhelming visual clutter.
Content Mapping Sessions
I led collaborative mapping workshops that helped define a clear content hierarchy and an early sitemap to guide the new site structure.
As an output of discovery, I created core UX principles to which the site would adhere.
These principles were informed by user research and stakeholder goals, and ensured that design decisions throughout the project remained focused and consistent.
The site should be clear, intuitive, and consistent, with easy-to-find content, accessible language, and familiar navigation that help users confidently understand where they are and what to do next..
Architecture
- Using the principles, I worked on the architecture of the site: Ensuring where possible, it had a flat structure – so that any page could be accessed within two clicks.
- The site map also indicated areas that would require data feeds, and separating out dedicated areas for healthcare professionals and patients.
UX Wireframing
- I produced a series of UX wireframes (through iterative cycles) that started to map out the content and interactions on the site.
- Key to this was ensuring that pages would be easily scannable with visible CTAs where needed to aid usability.
Mobile flows
To ensure a seamless user experience across devices, I designed navigation and search flows specifically for mobile and desktop.
UI Design
- I collaborated with two UI designers, who used the wireframes to help bring to life Genmab’s brand; while maintaining usability and consistency through the UX principles.
Modular design
- It was important to ensure the site had reusable modules to allow for scale and consistency.
- I outlined wireframe templates of these elements and showed where these could be mapped to page flows making it more efficient for technical build.
Modular components
Developing modular components laid the groundwork for a flexible design system and consistent page layouts.
Module mapping
Mapping modules to pages gave developers a clear blueprint for what to build, reducing guesswork and speeding up implementation.
Design system creation
- I undertook the product design of modular components that would make up the site.
- Building a component library in Figma ensured design consistency and provided a single source of truth for development.
Technical build
- I collaborated with Genmab’s offshore development agency for the handover of all UX and UI artifacts.
- Detailed specifications reduced ambiguity during development, leading to a smoother, faster build process with fewer revisions.
Taxonomy
Working with Genmab’s product owners I documented detailed taxonomy rules for Genmab’s compounds, which ensured consistent classification of complex content for the CMS.
Data structure
I documented field types for modules, enabling accurate CMS setup and ensured modules were populated correctly across the site.
Figma specifications
I created detailed specifications in Figma for the development team, this gave them the visual and functional clarity needed to implement designs accurately.
Interaction guides
I provided supporting interaction guides, for a consistent and accessible user experience across all interactive elements.
Results
- The site launched in 2024 and went on to win Bronze (Digital Impact Awards) for Best Use of Digital – Healthcare & Pharma. Judges called out its “thorough design” and “strong storytelling.”
- Collaborate workshops with the client built consensus and helped streamline design and development decisions.
- The modular system, and detailed specifications supported faster development and allowed for the longer-term growth of the site.