Vulcan Productions, PBS, and NOVA/WGBH have teamed with Harvard psychologist and best-selling author Daniel Gilbert to produce This Emotional Life. This three-part documentary premieres in January 2010, and examines why people find happiness to be such an elusive goal. Method was hired as a partner in this multi-year campaign to design and build the companion website, which will be the centerpiece of a nationwide outreach campaign. Method used its expertise in designing engaging interfaces for complex combinations of content as well as its effective strategic processes and strong editorial abilities to craft an online experience that blended media types and connected information intuitively. After reviewing comparable mental health resources and advocacy, educational, and story-telling websites, Method conducted interviews with a range of potential site users to gather qualitative information on potential user needs, social networking behaviors, and information-gathering habits. Based on our initial research, we defined a broad audience centered on four groups:
- Individuals, who come to the site to address challenges in their lives
- Caregivers, who share the concerns of the individual, wish to learn more, and need to deal with the stresses of care giving
- Couples & families, who wish to build and maintain healthy relationships and support one another
- The intellectually curious, who come to the site because of the broadcast series or through a search for information on one of the topics covered on the site With these widespread audience segments in mind, Method created an approachable online identity and easy-to-use interface that is sensitive to each user's unique requirements. Video and social media tools are tastefully and thoughtfully integrated, posing solutions to emotional challenges viewers face in their everyday lives. Through integration with community and social platforms like Meetup.com, Facebook, and Twitter, the site creates opportunities to build upon existing or join new social support networks. A range of existing and specially-produced content deliver a clear and focused experience that evolves over time - from initial launch 4 months prior to broadcast to 18 months after. The final online experience was architected using open source, stable, well-documented software components for cost-effective delivery and ease of maintenance. The system integrates a content management system (CMS) that supports ongoing publishing of new content to the site with PBS' online infrastructure and thePlatform as video hosting and delivery service. Judicious use of key "Web 2.0" frameworks and constructs enable the creation and editorial management of user generated content, user feedback, as well as rich, interactive user experience interfaces that support the overall design goals of the site.