Johnson & Johnson

The Challenge

The original platform had been built around business assumptions rather than the real needs of the pharmacists it was supposed to serve. The result was a product that nobody wanted to use. With a significant investment already committed and the project at risk of being shelved, Johnson & Johnson needed more than a redesign. Understanding why the platform had failed, rebuilding confidence in the concept, and creating something that would genuinely work for independent pharmacy owners and their staff across six European territories was the real task.

Our Approach

Before touching the design, the brief itself was challenged. A redesign of something nobody used would simply produce a better-looking product that nobody used. Starting from first principles meant getting on the ground across six European territories to understand the real world of independent pharmacy before a single wireframe was drawn.

UX Strategy

Challenging the framing of the brief was the first step. A redesign of a product nobody was using would simply produce a better-looking product that nobody used. The starting position was direct: if it is not being used, it is not useful.

A series of comprehensive stakeholder workshops brought together representatives from across the European territories, building a thorough understanding of the business objectives, the assumptions being made about the target audience, and where the gaps in understanding lay. From this, a research plan was developed to provide the insight needed to create something that would deliver real value to pharmacists.

Research

Pan-European, in-field research across six territories uncovered the real-world challenges facing independent pharmacists and validated the assumptions that had shaped the original platform.

This involved visiting a wide variety of independent stores, conducting one-to-one interviews with owners and staff, and riding along with Johnson & Johnson account directors to understand the full picture of how the relationship between J&J and its retail partners actually worked in practice. Findings were then validated through further video calls with contacts across wider markets, ensuring the insight was representative rather than territory-specific.

Service Design & Journey Mapping

A new product experience was designed around the real-world challenges of pharmacists rather than the commercial goals of the business, using the research findings as the foundation.

This meant mapping out prioritised user flows and journeys, creating a new content and information architecture, liaising with product engineers for technical input, and ensuring that every touchpoint in the service was considered, not just the digital interface itself. The goal was a seamless, user-centred experience across the full service ecosystem.

Prototyping & Testing

In close collaboration with the Johnson & Johnson team, service design thinking was translated into testable concepts through brainstorming, sketching and wireframing.

A rapid prototyping approach converted concepts into interactive, functional prototypes that could be tested with real users as quickly as possible. The process was deliberately iterative, with continuous refinement based on user feedback ensuring the final product genuinely met the needs of pharmacists and healthcare professionals across different markets.

The Results

The redesigned platform delivered results that went well beyond recovering a troubled project. Within the first year of launch:

7-figure increase in revenue per year, per territory, 36% increase in average order size, 30,000 training courses completed.

The platform became a genuine commercial asset for Johnson & Johnson, driving meaningful improvements in engagement, efficiency and revenue across European markets.