Mission Control / Healthcare

Designing a Better Clinical Trial Finder

For most patients, searching for a clinical trial can be confusing and overwhelming. A focus on UX, plain language and smarter data integrations can turn your clinical trial finder into a useful tool.

A medical professional in a white coat with a stethoscope uses a digital tablet, with a large blue medical symbol in the background.

By Rebecca Au-Mullaney

Fewer than 5% of adult cancer patients participate in clinical trials — and it’s not from lack of interest.

Many clinical trial finders, such as the ClinicalTrials.gov registry, are designed for researchers rather than patients. The advanced medical knowledge required to navigate these sites can overwhelm patients and caregivers, and discourage them from searching for relevant trials.

A frustrating clinical trial finder is a missed opportunity to reach patients who need care. By designing your clinical trial finder with the needs and concerns of patients and caregivers in mind, you’ll create a more empathetic and intuitive experience that can ultimately drive higher study enrollment. Here’s how to do it.

A Clear, User-Friendly Interface 

Present clinical trial options in an easy-to-read, uncluttered environment with clear titles, study summaries and eligibility criteria so users can quickly determine relevance. This is where investing in user experience design pays dividends.

See It in Action: HonorHealth Research Institute. When we partnered with HonorHealth on its new website, we knew the clinical trial finder would be a critical component. To make the experience more intuitive, we designed a minimalist interface that is able to contain a lot of information without inundating users. Plus, the API pulls in up-to-date information from ClinicalTrials.gov as well as additional details from HonorHealth’s clinical trial management system so patients get a comprehensive list of trials. The site also favors clear, plain language instead of medical jargon.

Detailed Filtering

Clinical trial finders obviously hold a lot of information that patients need to consider. To prevent overwhelming them with irrelevant information, start with key filters, such as condition or keyword. Then, introduce more specific criteria like genetic mutations, biomarkers and the phase of trial. This will prevent decision fatigue.

See It in Action: University of Iowa Healthcare. UI Healthcare’s clinical trials tool begins with a single search bar for patients to enter in a keyword or NCT number. Then, the search results page includes options to filter down the results based on age group, study type and eligibility. Each trial result includes keyword tagging that allows patients to easily scan through the list.

Guided Search

Take filtering to the next level by offering patients another way to search: a questionnaire that asks about their unique situation. The result is a more personalized list of applicable clinical trials.

See It in Action: TrialMatch. Solely for patients with Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia, TrialMatch uses a question-and-answer flow to pair participants with appropriate studies. People who are using AI tools like ChatGPT and Claude are already used to this question-and-answer flow. To prevent frustration, TrialMatch clearly indicates if a trial is actively recruiting.

More Features That Will Take Your Clinical Trial Finder to the Next Level

In addition to the fundamentals above, consider incorporating these useful features into your clinical trial finder:

  • Search optimization. Make sure your search tool understands entries that don’t follow standard protocol or have misspellings.  
  • Compare and contrast. When patients have many trials to choose from, they may want to compare them side by side to more easily assess the pros and cons.
  • Printing functionality. Build in a print-friendly version of each clinical trial or list of search results so patients can easily print out potential trials to review with their doctor.
  • Map integration. Help patients see exactly how far the study locations are to their homes so they can judge feasibility.
  • Alert notifications. If an appropriate study matches a patient’s needs but is not yet active, allow users to sign up to get an alert when it opens.
  • Contact information. Make sure it’s easy to find and up to date.
  • Mobile-friendly design. Ensure the platform works well on smartphones and tablets.

Need Help With Your Website?

Our strategists, designers, content creators and developers will partner with you to create a website that exceeds expectations and delivers results.

LET’S CHAT
 

A young woman with long dark hair and glasses smiles at the camera. She is wearing a dark top and stands in front of a blurred background, likely an indoor setting with vertical decorative elements. The image has a grayscale filter.
Rebecca Au-Mullaney Digital Project Manager

Rebecca has more than a decade of experience in nonprofit, healthcare and higher education marketing, with roles ranging from alumni magazine editor-in-chief to director of strategic communications. At C/A, she oversees the creation and implementation of our website development and marketing automation plans, and serves as a bridge between developers and clients.

When she’s not working, Rebecca can be found exploring every park in a 30-minute radius with her young daughters. She enjoys journaling, painting and talking big ideas with her husband and friends.

Healthcare

The Delicate Art of Digital Healthcare Advertising

Before launching your next campaign, familiarize yourself with these rules from Google Ads’ medical policy and Meta’s ad standards.
Healthcare

What I Wish I Knew Before Launching My Physician Email Program

Through our work with NYU Langone Health, Vanderbilt University Medical Center and others, here’s what we’ve learned about creating email marketing strategies for physicians.
Healthcare

5 Common Healthcare Email Marketing Mistakes

Avoid these pitfalls to improve ROI for your healthcare email marketing campaign.

We never take a one-size-fits-all approach. Let’s chat about a strategy that meets your needs.

CONTACT US