In support of its roll-out of gender-specific Depend® brand absorbent underwear, last week Kimberly-Clark opened up a redesigned site, with community positioned right at its center. Working with Fullhouse, an interactive agency, Kimberly-Clark created an inviting center for Depend® brand customers, offering them connection, information, and support. Fullhouse, who designed and built the site, used the LiveWorld API 2.0 for forums, article comments, friend connections, and the user messaging system. Using the headless API (headless because it comes with no interface, but just the interactive functionality), Fullhouse had flexibility to use their own design chops for the presentation of the interactive features.

Where are the people like me?

From the perspective of online commuity best practice, the Depend® site is a great case study. The purposes of the community are obvious from the first moment you arrive:

* Introduce the gender-specific product innovation
* Explore and celebrate the different perspectives of men and women
* Invite people into a friendly connection with others who have similar experiences

A diverse set of smiling faces greets users, communicating the culture here: This is a community that doesn’t talk in whispers. Real live Community Ambassadors are pictured front and center, with profiles of these active, engaged people—three or four of whom friend a new user upon registration. Featured articles on family & friends, volunteer activities, and recreation kick off the up-beat tone and invite user comments. On all the informational pages (for women, for men, for caregivers), excerpts from the discussion boards, via the LiveWorld API, feature current conversations. The Depend® community users themselves are supportive and generous with tips and advice, so new users will likely feel quickly at home.

We congratulate Kimberly-Clark and their partner Fullhouse on the appealing, promising, and community-centric launch. We’re also proud to have been involved in the background.