The Oncology Guide is a first-of-its-kind health app designed using content featuring children and practitioners to empower families at the start of their cancer journey. As such it utilises an accessible and balanced design system that presents complex medical information in a clear and understandable manner that is as reassuring for adults as it is comforting for children. This design language stretches across multiple touchpoints including the webapp, a physical journal that accompanies families throughout treatment, a poster campaign developed to raise awareness, and merchandise that provides comfort and aid for children undergoing treatment - all through a unified approach.

The core webapp is available to everyone, for free, as it is a not-for-profit multimedia information platform. The Oncology Guide Web-App provides clear, concise, and accurate information regarding Children’s Oncology to families who need it and is funded exclusively through fundraising and donations. All merchandise (including The Oncology Guide journal) can be purchased as a donation which is then gifted to children/families who are currently going through Oncology treatment.

1,838 children are diagnosed with cancer in the UK, on average, every year. The vast majority of these children immediately go into the National Health Service (NHS) system for specialist children’s oncology treatment with little to no context for the extensive medical procedures and care they will be going through for an indefinite amount of time.

The NHS provide world class oncology treatment - going above and beyond to treat and care for children with a cancer diagnosis, but as resources are stretched, they cannot provide the level of information necessary to inform and reassure the children, and their families, sufficiently leading many to begin their own research. Due to the easy access and unregulated nature of the internet the information they find is often confusing, contradictory, and frequently incorrect leading to further stress and anxiety. This in turn puts further stress on the medical professionals involved creating a vicious and unnecessary cycle.

As no source of centralised information exists for families who are dealing with a child’s cancer diagnosis and treatment there was a clear need to provide a trusted and reliable resource that’s as easy for medical staff to recommend as it is for families to use.

After her daughter’s cancer journey Charley Scott created The Oncology Guide as the resource she’d wished they’d had, realising that time and information are a family’s two most valuable assets.

Our brief was to create the identity and webapp to help families navigate this journey. The app breaks down information into bite sized content told from the children’s perspective with further information to help best inform parents - featuring expert oncology practitioners and a host of brave, inspiring young children with first-hand, lived experience of cancer.

This was a pro-bono project for us, partnering with the platform’s founder Charley Scott, alongside King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, Chartwell Cancer Trust, Children’s Cancer and Leukaemia Group (CCLG) for the project. Our objective was to bring Charley’s ambition to life and create a centralised source of information that could help families all over the UK.

The creative concept focuses on giving back control to families, with The Oncology Guide being there to help parents and children when they need it the most. With clarity at its core, The Oncology Guide aims to deliver all information in the simplest way possible. The guide brings together patient-focused insight and medically certified information into an easily accessible single point of reference.

Before The Oncology Guide was created, families would only have access to decentralised information from various sources, such as individual hospitals and charities, local councils and other services that vary from place to place, the aim of the guide is to mediate some of the pain, tension and distress that families go through by giving them clear and accessible information. As cancer can impact any child’s life regardless of background it also directs families on how they can get support, whether it be financial or emotional.

Inspired by medical journals and the human touch of doctor’s notes, combined to create a design language prioritising personal experience, it highlights key information and uses the eyes within Oncology to convey sympathy, support, and connection. Designed as a webapp, the platform is accessible through a web browser featuring a shortcut option - creating an app icon on a devices home screen.

The accompanying physical journal allows for personalisation whilst providing critical information, charts for recording crucial notes, and activities to entertain children during hospital visits, reinforced by merchandise designed to accompany children through treatment with comfort and resilience in mind.

The UK wide awareness campaign features two poster styles, one for adults featuring the strapline “See Cancer More Clearly” surrounded by jumbled typography. The second, for children, features illustrations (around the Oncology eyes) by children who’ve beaten cancer – both communicating the key platform benefit to the relevant users.

Every day, The Oncology Guide is making a tangible difference by reducing anxiety and empowering families. More than just a guide, this platform serves as a lifeline for those grappling with childhood cancer.

When Charley, the founder, embarked on this mission, she hoped to make the journey less daunting for at least one family. Today, with over 2,351 users, you could say that she has not only achieved but exceeded her goal. This figure represents real families who have found solace amidst their toughest times.

In a country where on average 1,838 children are diagnosed with cancer each year, these numbers underscore the significant impact and potential reach of our platform.

TOG’s growing influence hasn't gone unnoticed. Media outlets like The Guardian, Design Week, and BBC One have recognised our work. Our success is a testament to its valuable content and the power of word-of-mouth recommendations from trusted healthcare professionals.