i Can Quit is more
than breaking a
habit—it’s an identity transformation.
Overview
ICON partnered with Cancer Institute NSW to design and validate the next evolution of the iCanQuit digital service, supporting people across NSW to quit smoking through a connected website and mobile app experience. The project focused on establishing a robust, evidence-based UX foundation that could scale across platforms, support diverse user needs, and integrate behaviour change principles from the outset.
Our role was to lead the end-to-end UX design and testing program, working closely with the Cancer Institute team to test early, test often, and reduce delivery risk before build.
Background
Smoking remains one of the leading preventable causes of illness and death in NSW. While many people want to quit, the journey is rarely linear. It is shaped by habit, stress, social context, and access to timely, trusted support.
iCanQuit is a long-standing digital service designed to support people through that journey. As user expectations, devices, and digital behaviours evolved, Cancer Institute NSW identified the need to reassess how the service worked across web and mobile, and whether it was genuinely meeting users where they were.
The challenge was not simply to redesign an interface. The service needed to support people at moments of vulnerability, encourage sustained behaviour change over time, and work seamlessly across platforms. It also needed to be inclusive by design, recognising the different cultural, accessibility, and health contexts in which people attempt to quit.
What we made
We delivered a comprehensive UX design and validation program across three stages:
Project kickoff and discovery workshops to align on goals, review existing research and information architecture, and confirm functional and behavioural requirements.
Low-fidelity wireframes for the full iCanQuit ecosystem, including onboarding, dashboards, behaviour tracking, quit activities, forums, notifications, calculators, and support tools, tested iteratively across desktop, mobile web, and app contexts.
High-fidelity UI prototypes for both website and app, refined through structured usability testing to validate flows, content hierarchy, and interaction patterns before development.User testing was central to the approach. ICON recruited and managed 48 participants across multiple rounds of testing, including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, culturally and linguistically diverse audiences, and health professionals for referral pathways. This ensured the service was inclusive, culturally informed, and practical for real-world use.
Why it mattered
Quitting smoking is a complex, emotional, and highly personal journey. For iCanQuit, getting the experience right was critical to trust, engagement, and long-term behaviour change.
By validating the service design before build, the project reduced delivery risk, avoided costly rework, and gave Cancer Institute NSW confidence that the platform would meet user needs across devices and contexts. The structured testing approach ensured that accessibility, inclusion, and clarity were embedded early rather than retrofitted later.
Most importantly, the work laid a strong UX foundation for a public health service that supports people at moments of vulnerability, helping them navigate cravings, track progress, and access support in ways that feel human, supportive, and achievable.
Services
UX/UI designers
Frontend and GovCMS developers
Content strategists and information architecture experts
Dedicated client service team
A range of client stakeholders and end users of the service