TERPLY
Case Study
Simplifying Medical Cannabis Access for Cancer Patients
Project Overview
Role: UX Writer & Content Designer
Timeline: January 2024 - May 2024 (5 months)
Platform: Responsive web app + native mobile app
Team: Solo UX writer
The core UX writing challenge: How do we guide vulnerable users through high-stakes medical decisions while reducing anxiety, building trust, and maintaining medical accuracy?
The Challenge
Cancer patients and individuals with serious illnesses face overwhelming complexity when exploring medical cannabis as a treatment option. They must navigate:
● Unfamiliar medical terminology and product types (tinctures, edibles, topicals, flower)
● Varying THC/CBD ratios and dosing information
● Dispensary locations, pricing, and availability
● Fear and stigma around cannabis use
● Physical limitations (transportation, mobility issues)
My Approach
1. User Research & Empathy Building
What I did:
● Conducted 12 moderated usability sessions with cancer patients (ages 55-78)
● Interviewed 6 dispensary owners/managers to understand patient concerns
● Analyzed existing patient education materials for readability and comprehension gaps
● Created user personas focusing on health literacy levels, technology comfort, and emotional states
Key insights that shaped my content strategy:
● Users felt overwhelmed by medical jargon but also wanted to feel informed and in control
● Many experienced guilt or embarrassment about seeking cannabis treatment
● Elderly users struggled with small text and complex navigation
● Users wanted reassurance they were making "safe" choices without being patronized
● Trust was built through transparency about what the platform could/couldn't guarantee
2. Content Principles & Voice/Tone Framework
Based on research, I established these content principles:
Content Principles:
1. Radically simple: 8th-grade reading level maximum
2. Empathetic without being saccharine: Acknowledge difficulty without dwelling on it
3. Transparent about limitations: Clear about what we know/don't know
4. Action-oriented: Always provide next steps
5. Medical accuracy without medical speak: Plain language first, technical terms when necessary with clear definitions
Voice & Tone:
● Voice (consistent): Knowledgeable friend, warm but professional, never clinical
● Tone (adaptive):
○ Onboarding: Welcoming, reassuring
○ Product selection: Educational, confidence-building
○ Error states: Helpful, never blaming
○ Success states: Celebratory but not trivializing health concerns
3. Information Architecture & Content Hierarchy
I redesigned the content flow to match user mental models:
OLD FLOW (original concept):
1. Create account
2. Browse all products
3. Filter by condition
4. View dispensary options
NEW FLOW (content-first approach):
1. "What brings you here today?" (symptom-first entry point)
2. Educational micro-content about cannabis basics (progressive disclosure)
3. Guided questionnaire with plain language explanations
4. Personalized product recommendations with "why this helps" explanations
5. Dispensary options filtered by accessibility needs (distance, delivery, hours)
Key Content Solutions
Example 1: Onboarding Flow
BEFORE (initial draft from PM):
"Welcome to Terply. Our platform uses advanced matching algorithms to connect patients with appropriate medical cannabis products based on symptom profiles and treatment preferences."
AFTER (my final copy):
Welcome to Terply
Finding the right cannabis treatment shouldn't be confusing. We'll ask a few questions about what you're experiencing, then show you options that might help.
This takes about 3 minutes. You can save your progress anytime.
Why this works:
● Cuts technical jargon ("advanced matching algorithms")
● Sets clear expectations (3 minutes, can save progress)
● Leads with user benefit, not company capability
● Warm but not overly casual
Example 2: Product Recommendation Cards
Challenge: Users saw product names like "High-CBD 20:1 Tincture" and felt lost.
My content solution:
[Product Card]
Calming CBD Tincture
20 parts CBD to 1 part THC
✓ Best for: Pain relief, anxiety, inflammation
✓ Won't make you feel "high"
✓ Easy to dose (start with 3 drops)
Why patients choose this:
"Helps with my arthritis pain without affecting my day."
[Learn more] [Find nearby]
Content decisions:
● Plain language product naming ("Calming CBD" vs "20:1 ratio")
● Technical info provided but not primary
● Social proof from real patient quote
● Clear reassurance about psychoactive effects (biggest concern for elderly users)
● Action-oriented CTAs
Example 3: Error Prevention & Recovery
Scenario: User selects a high-THC product without experience
My intervention copy:
⚠️ Heads up
This product has high THC (the compound that causes a "high").
Since you mentioned you're new to cannabis, we recommend starting with a lower-THC option. High-THC products can cause anxiety or discomfort in new users.
[Show me lower-THC options] [Continue anyway]
Why this works:
● Warning without judgment
● Educational (explains THC simply)
● Offers alternative path
● Respects user autonomy ("Continue anyway")
Example 4: Accessibility Considerations
I worked to ensure:
● All body copy minimum 16px font size (tested with users 65+)
● WCAG 2.1 AA contrast ratios
● Form field instructions outside of placeholder text
● Clear error messages with specific correction guidance
● Alternative text for all product images
Example error message:
BEFORE (developer default):
"Invalid date format"
AFTER (my copy):
We need your birthdate in this format: MM/DD/YYYY
Example: 03/15/1960
I created reusable content components for the design system:
Component Library:
● Button microcopy patterns (15 variations: primary actions, secondary actions, destructive actions)
● Form field labels + helper text + error messages (20 common fields)
● Tooltip copy (product explanations, feature explanations)
● Empty states (no results, no saved items, first-time user states)
● Success/confirmation messages
● System notifications (saving, loading, errors)
Documentation I created:
● Content component usage guide
● Voice/tone guidelines with examples
● Writing checklist for future designers/developers
● Content review process
Design System Contribution
Measurable Impact
User Testing Results:
● 80% improvement in user-reported "cognitive ease" scores (System Usability Scale)
● Task completion rate increased from 62% to 91% for product selection flow
● Time to complete questionnaire reduced from avg 8.5 minutes to 4.2 minutes
● Zero users reported feeling "confused" or "overwhelmed" in post-test surveys (down from 7/12 in initial testing)
Business Impact:
● Reduced customer support tickets by 34% in first month post-launch
● Increased conversion from questionnaire to dispensary contact by 45%
Accessibility Wins:
● Achieved WCAG 2.1 AA compliance across all user flows
● Flesch-Kincaid reading level: 8th grade (target achieved)
What I Learned
1. Progressive disclosure is everything in high-stakes content. Don't front-load anxiety by explaining every edge case upfront.
2. Elderly users appreciate being respected, not coddled. Simplifying language doesn't mean being condescending.
3. Content strategy = collaboration. My biggest wins came from advocating for content in early design discussions, not just polishing final copy.
4. Measurement matters. Tracking cognitive ease scores gave me concrete evidence to push back on stakeholder requests that added complexity.
Next Steps & Iterations
If I had continued with Terply, I would have:
● Conducted A/B testing on product card copy variations
● Developed Spanish language localization strategy
● Created content for caregiver-focused user flow (family members helping patients)
● Built more robust content analytics to track which microcopy drove highest conversion
Tools Used
Figma (content prototyping, component documentation)
JustInMind (wireframing early flows)
Google Docs (voice/tone guide, content strategy documentation)
Maze (remote usability testing)
Hemingway Editor (readability checking
Canva
Want to see more of my work? Check out my other case studies or get in touch.