Highmark’s “How’s It Going” Campaign

How We Built A Website So Successful, the Client Extended Their Campaign By 9 Months

BACKGROUND 

Highmark Fast Facts

Industry: Health Care

Website: https://howsitgoing.com/

Location: Pittsburgh

Case Study Date: 2023-2024

THE PROBLEM 

Collecting & Sharing Public Health Data—Without Violating HIPAA

Highmark realized mental health has long gone overlooked and undervalued, and they decided to fight back by anonymously surveying regional residents and providing local resources. 

At the same time, Highmark wanted the survey to be as simple and easy to engage with as possible—and they wanted the ability to share answers without violating HIPPA privacy laws.

THE SOLUTION

Thoughtful Design & Stripped Down Tracking

The site went through multiple design iterations, each one enhancing simplicity and useability while adhering to Highmark’s campaign branding and prioritizing the mobile experience first, as that would play a major part in Highmark’s overall advertising campaign.

Our focus on simplicity also led to careful decisions surrounding:

• typography
• the slider
• the form field

In addition, we built a robust resources page—but we knew we had to be intentional about its design. If someone takes the survey while in crisis, they can’t sift through a giant list of tools and links.

Instead, we built the resources page with an accordion-style list so that the pages we linked to remained hidden until called upon.

Finally, we emphasized data privacy by not collecting any personal information on the form—and we also refrained from installing any third-party tracking integrations, like GA4—but we still managed to help users see common answers through the See Answers page.

The See Answers page doubled as an opportunity to address the region’s biggest mental health hurdles with statistics and additional resources and recommendations.

THE PAYOFF

Continued the Campaign for an Extra 9 Months

The How’s It Going? website became the foundation for the overall campaign, and it was so successful that Highmark decided to continue the campaign for an additional nine months!

Nearly 9,000 western PA participants submitted answers in 2023, and the survey found elevated stress levels throughout the region:

• 75% of participants said their stress levels could be better
• 57% of participants said their stress levels were poor
• 31% of participants said their stress levels were at their worst

More importantly, the How’s It Going? website gave participants a safe, anonymous, and judgement-free environment to share their deepest thoughts and feelings—and many took advantage of the platform.

For example, site visitors wrote some of their most intense revelations, such as:

• “Sometimes my body hits a wall.”
• “We’re drowning. I’m drowning.”
• “May as well be alone.”
• “I only eat when I absolutely have to.”

Thanks to the website’s design, Highmark was able to connect thousands of people with local mental health resources to support them in these troubling times.