Website Design & Development: Mass General Addiction Answers

Top Line Result: Delivered flagship website with new brand, custom content and web video in under 5 months.

Situational Analysis

90% of drug and alcohol addiction in the U.S. begins in young people aged 15 to 25. In response, Massachusetts General Hospital launched a new addiction treatment program – Addiction Recovery Management Service (ARMS) – to address this population. This best-of-breed program is grounded in MGH’s addiction research and their thorough evaluation of treatment techniques with the highest efficacy. With the program in place, Mass General needed to:

• Raise awareness among schools, parents, and youth about this new, effective program
• Articulate MGH’s leadership position in the area of addiction treatment
• Communicate to a lay audience about the ground-breaking research that sets the program apart and shapes the clinical practices

Solution

Design Driven by Research. OHO began the project with primary research. We engaged fifteen subject matter experts, from department chiefs to clinical teams, through in-person interviews to understand the medical research, why the program succeeds, and the needs of different audiences.

Our secondary research included a systematic analysis of hundreds of addiction web sites that could be added to a resource library. Our research also highlighted gaps in available web-based resources that Mass General was uniquely suited to fill.

Finally, focus groups with parents and young adults revealed the best communication approach to deliver the message with the right impact

The research shaped and refocused the project:

• Since young adults in addiction are isolated and not engaged with people or technology, the focus of the content was aimed at parents and schools.
• Parents of young adults with addictions were hungry for more resources and eager to understand how to find help and to engage their child.

Iterative Visual Brand Development. OHO developed multiple visual designs for the site – from the corporate and more clinical to more youth oriented. The selected design reflects the overall Mass General branding and took on a more educational and editorial feel to reinforce the leadership position of Mass General. We used videos of subject-matter experts to capture the thoughtfulness of the staff and the nuances of philosophy and approach.

On-time Launch with Custom Content and Video. OHO developed 40 custom pages of content, produced over 20 videos, and created a resource library of Internet resources. The URL AddictionAnswers was selected for search engine optimization purposes and to allow the site to become the destination for all MGH addiction treatment programs.

Results

The site launched to universal acclaim within the department and raised the profile of the new program within MGH.

• Business goals: Since launch, the pages that focus on bringing people into the program are the top 3 out of the top 5 most viewed pages.
• Search engine optimization: It was the top ranked site for terms “addiction answers” within 3 weeks of launch
• Client satisfaction: “OHO did a SPECTACULAR job with the website. We are thrilled with your work.” Joy Rosen, Executive Director.
• Honors and Recognition: The site was a Webby Award Honoree for 2009 in Healthcare Category

Phase 2 of the project includes promoting the site to a wider audience through traditional and online channels, and fine-tuning the site for longer visits, better search engine optimization and increased conversion.