Reimagining a Social Network

Introduction

Challenge:
The American Medical Association’s Physician Innovation Network (PIN) platform was increasingly difficult to manage, lacked a clear product roadmap, and was constrained by a proprietary hosting platform, making updates and user improvements challenging.

Solution:
AMA chose to rebuild PIN from the ground up, creating a user-centric social networking experience that could grow with their evolving needs — improving ease of management internally and enhancing engagement externally.

Goals

  • Rethink and redesign PIN to deliver a modern, user-centered social networking experience.

  • Improve internal management flexibility by moving to a customizable platform.

  • Incorporate best-in-class social media practices to drive healthcare industry engagement.

  • Ensure a consistent, seamless experience across desktop and mobile.

  • Build a future-proof platform that allows for easy technical iteration as needs evolve.

Research

Discovery Methods:

  • Expanded upon AMA’s existing stakeholder interviews.

  • Conducted audience segmentation through user persona development and user journey mapping.

  • Analyzed social media best practices to inform engagement features.

  • Benchmarked top-performing social networking platforms for UX inspiration.

Key Insights:

  • The platform served multi-faceted audiences (physicians, entrepreneurs, healthcare innovators) with distinct needs.

  • Users expected familiar social interaction models: easy posting, commenting, messaging, and content discovery.

  • Roadmap flexibility was critical to AMA for long-term adaptability.

  • Engagement opportunities needed to be accessible anytime, anywhere — both in-office and on mobile devices.

Design

Solution Details:

  • Leveraged AMA’s robust visual identity to ensure brand consistency while modernizing the user experience.

  • Designed core social engagement features including:

    • Share and comment on posts.

    • Direct messaging for individuals and groups.

    • Site-wide discussion boards.

    • Posting and browsing opportunities, physician insights, jobs, and discussions.

  • Created a harmonious mobile and desktop experience, ensuring full functionality across devices.

Platform Architecture:

  • Built PIN on Drupal’s Open Social community engagement platform to ensure:

    • Full backend control and ease of updates.

    • Scalability for future feature additions.

    • Seamless cross-device performance.

Challenges

  • Designing for Complex Audiences:
    We had to ensure the platform felt intuitive and valuable to multiple distinct user groups (physicians, entrepreneurs, administrators) without overwhelming any one audience.

  • Migrating to a Flexible Framework:
    Transitioning from a proprietary platform to Open Social required careful planning to preserve core functionality while introducing major UX improvements.

  • Balancing Familiarity and Innovation:
    We needed to deliver a social media-like experience without losing the professional and trusted tone expected from the American Medical Association.

Outcomes

  • 3,000+ users interacted with the new PIN platform within the first three months post-launch.

  • AMA successfully gained full control and flexibility over platform management and future enhancements.

  • Web Excellence Award Winner:

    • Apps & Mobile – Health & Wellness category.

What I Learned

This project reinforced the value of deep audience segmentation and journey mapping when designing for complex, multi-audience platforms. Additionally, it highlighted the importance of choosing flexible technical solutions early in a redesign project to avoid future bottlenecks. By combining social media familiarity with healthcare professionalism, we created an experience that felt natural, engaging, and trusted — a balance that is crucial when building digital spaces in highly regulated, high-trust industries.