TERPLY
Case Study
Simplifying Medical Cannabis Access for Cancer Patients
Project Overview
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)
The Challenge
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?
Role: UX Writer & Content Designer
Timeline: January 2024 - May 2024 (5 months)
Platform: Responsive web app + native mobile app
Team: Solo UX writer
My Approach
1. User Research & Empathy Building
What I did:
Conducted 12 moderated usability sessions with cancer patients (ages 24-78)
Interviewed 4 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 as well as marijuana literacy
Users wanted reassurance they were making "safe" choices without being patronized
Trust was built through transparency about what the platform could or couldn't guarantee
2. Content Principles & Voice/Tone Framework
Based on my research, I established these content principles that align with patients:
Content Principles:
1. Radically simple: 8th-grade reading level maximum
2. Empathetic without being too sweet: 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; prominent function is key
5. Medical accuracy without medical speak: Plain language first, technical terms when necessary with clear definitions; necessary for usability as patients are often under some sort of duress
Voice & Tone:
Voice: Knowledgeable friend, warm nurse but professional, and not clinical
Tone:
- Onboarding: Welcoming, reassuring
- Product selection: Educational as well as confidence-building
- Error states: Helpful but never blaming
- Success states: Celebratory but not trivializing health concerns or focusing on the “high”
3. Information Architecture & Content Hierarchy
I redesigned the content flow to match user mentality models:
OLD FLOW (my original concept):
1. Create account
2. Browse all products
3. Filter by condition
4. View dispensary options
NEW FLOW
1. "What brings you here today?"
2. Educational micro-content about cannabis basics
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 - all are of extreme import)
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.
Example 2: Product Recommendation Cards
Challenge: Users saw product names like "High-CBD 20:1 Tincture" and felt lost.
My content solution:
(Product Card)(Bright, sparse)(Illustrations?)
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 sublingually or with food/drink)
Why patients choose this:
"Helps with my arthritis pain without affecting my day."
(Learn more) (Find nearby)(Ask Patient Advocate)
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) (Bold color?)*
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
Design System Contribution
I created reusable content components for the design system:
Component Library:
Button microcopy patterns
Form field labels + helper text + error messages
Tooltip copy
Empty states
Success/confirmation messages
System notifications
Documentation I created:
Content component usage guide
Voice/tone guidelines with examples
Writing checklist for future designers/developers
Content review process
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)
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 and French 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, Figma (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.