Building Governance and Findability: Blue Shield of California’s Navigation Redesign

Healthcare websites are notoriously complex, and Blue Shield of California’s was no exception. Blue Shield of California’s website lacked governance and intentional IA strategy, creating content silos where members struggled to find prescription coverage, understand benefits, and access basic health information.

This case study presents how systematic IA methodology transformed the site’s findability through user research and governance frameworks. The presentation covers the research and testing approach, navigating stakeholder dynamics in a complex organizational environment, and building sustainable IA governance from the ground up.

You’ll see the practical realities of applying IA principles in healthcare—balancing user needs with regulatory mandates, compliance requirements, and technical limitations. The case study offers examples of IA in practice and the organizational challenges of implementing significant IA changes where systematic processes didn’t exist.