Picture Perfect

Validating Visual Strategy Through Evidence

2024 | UC San Diego Health

The Challenge

When creative teams develop visual guidelines, how do we know if the imagery actually resonates with users? The creative team had established a distinctive photographic style featuring rich colors and people engaging in life activities, but needed validation. Would healthcare patients prefer specific composition styles—over-the-shoulder shots versus front-facing portraits? More fundamentally, did our imagery approach align with industry standards while maintaining our unique brand identity?

Business Objectives

Validate creative direction by testing user preferences for different photographic composition styles

Benchmark visual strategy against top healthcare competitors to ensure market alignment

Establish evidence-based guidelines for future imagery selection and photography direction

Assess brand cohesiveness across the website's visual elements

Strengthen creative team confidence in established visual standards through objective analysis

My Role & Responsibilities

As Lead Researcher, I designed and executed A/B tests comparing different photographic composition styles, conducted comprehensive competitive audits analyzing imagery across the top five healthcare brands, collaborated with the creative team to establish evaluation criteria for visual cohesiveness, synthesized quantitative testing data with qualitative competitive analysis, and presented findings that validated existing creative direction while providing actionable insights for future photography decisions.

This mixed-methods approach combined the precision of A/B testing with the contextual depth of competitive benchmarking to inform visual strategy.

  • Study Type: Mixed Methods (A/B Testing + Competitive Audit)

    Quantitative Phase:

    • A/B testing different photographic composition styles

    • Variation tested: Over-the-shoulder perspectives vs. front-facing portraits/groups

    • Metrics tracked: User engagement, conversion rates, interaction patterns

    • Statistical analysis of composition preferences

    Qualitative Phase:

    • Comprehensive imagery audit of top 5 healthcare competitors

    • Visual analysis framework examining color palette, subject matter, composition patterns, depth of field, tonal consistency, and brand cohesiveness

    • Comparative analysis documenting UCSD Health's visual positioning within the competitive landscape

    Synthesis:

    • Cross-validation of quantitative findings with competitive context

    • Collaborative evaluation sessions with creative teams and stakeholders

    • Documentation of brand-distinctive visual elements

  • Composition Style Showed No Clear Winner: A/B testing revealed no significant user preference between over-the-shoulder shots and front-facing portraits or groups. This finding was initially surprising but ultimately valuable—it meant our creative team had flexibility in composition choices as long as other visual elements remained consistent.

    Brand Cohesiveness Is Our Strength: The competitive audit revealed that UCSD Health exhibits exceptionally strong photographic cohesiveness compared to top healthcare brands. Our distinctive approach features rich, deep colors, individuals actively enjoying life and engaging in various activities, and consistent focus on patients and people rather than clinical environments.

    Visual Consistency Matters More Than Individual Elements: The placement of subjects, depth of field uniformity (particularly in hero images), and tonal richness that align with our overall graphic style create a coherent visual identity. This consistency proved more impactful than specific composition choices.

    Competitive Positioning Is Strong: Compared to the top five healthcare brands, UCSD Health maintains a more cohesive and distinctive visual approach. While competitors often mix clinical imagery with lifestyle photography inconsistently, our focused strategy creates stronger brand recognition.

    Multiple Focal Points Work With Consistency: The research validated that images can include multiple focal points or various composition styles as long as they maintain consistent tone, color richness, subject focus, and alignment with brand values.

  • Creative Validation:

    • Provided objective evidence supporting the creative team's established visual direction

    • Built confidence in continuing current photographic approach rather than pursuing unnecessary changes

    • Validated investment in rich, vibrant imagery featuring active patients and people

    Team Alignment:

    • Facilitated productive discussions between research, creative, and stakeholder teams about visual strategy

    • Created shared understanding of what makes imagery effective in healthcare context

    • Ensured alignment with brand standards and organizational goals through collaborative evaluation

    Process Development:

    • Demonstrated value of combining quantitative testing with qualitative competitive analysis

    • Established methodology for subjective visual assessment that produced actionable insights

    • Created replicable approach for future creative validation research

What I Learned

"No difference" is often the most valuable finding: When A/B testing showed no preference between composition styles, my initial reaction was disappointment. But this finding was liberating for the creative team—it meant they could prioritize other visual elements that actually matter to brand cohesiveness rather than following rigid composition formulas.

Competitive context transforms data interpretation: The A/B test alone left questions unanswered. Adding competitive benchmarking revealed that our cohesive approach itself was the differentiator, not specific composition choices. Sometimes you need multiple research methods to see the full picture.

Subjective assessments can produce objective value: I worried that evaluating imagery quality would be too subjective to be useful. However, the structured audit process combined with collaborative stakeholder discussions produced clear, actionable insights that validated creative direction and informed future decisions.

Validation research builds organizational confidence: The creative team had developed strong visual guidelines through expertise and instinct. Providing evidence that their approach outperformed competitors didn't change their direction but strengthened their conviction and organizational support for continuing it.

Research serves multiple audiences: This project simultaneously informed creative decisions, reassured stakeholders, established benchmarks for future comparison, and built research team credibility. Effective research creates value beyond immediate findings.

Why This Project Matters

Creative decisions in healthcare must balance aesthetic appeal with brand identity, accessibility, and user needs. This research demonstrated that UCSD Health's visual strategy successfully achieves strong brand cohesiveness while maintaining flexibility for creative expression. By validating the creative team's approach through both quantitative testing and competitive analysis, this work prevented unnecessary changes, strengthened organizational confidence, and established evidence-based guidelines for future imagery decisions. Sometimes the most valuable research confirms you're already on the right path.

Research Methods: A/B testing • Competitive analysis • Visual audits • Comparative benchmarking • Collaborative evaluation • Mixed methods synthesis

Skills Applied: Experimental design • Qualitative analysis • Brand assessment • Stakeholder collaboration • Visual strategy • Creative validation • Evidence synthesis