The world’s healthiest communities all have one thing in common: people committed to local wellness initiatives. To help bring attention to these communities, Blue Zones, a division of Healthways, wanted to share success stories and local initiatives to create buzz and drive people to visit or consider relocating to certified Blue Zones cities.

We designed a custom site built to scale globally, which includes a custom content management system (CMS) designed to manage hundreds of data points (with 300+ in Iowa alone), an interactive map to promote wellness efforts happening in certified Blue Zone cities—from healthier school lunch options, farmer’s market access to corporate wellness initiatives. The site frees the user to explore and learn while fostering deeper connections with the communities and the stories of people making healthier choices.

To improve the overall experience, we performed user testing for key audiences throughout the process, which included both current residents as well as people considering visiting or relocating to a Blue Zones community. Visitors can explore and discover success stories or contribute their own experiences—bringing communities together for positive change and a better life.