Beyond the Mission Statement Designing Your Agency’s Website
Darlene Lynch – Ball State UniversityBob Vernon - Indiana University
http://hsmedia.biz
Overview
Questions to consider Just what makes a good agency website? Legal and ethical worries Design process Basic choices Design: What for whom? Design: Navigation considerations Getting and staying online
Questions to consider…
What happens if we don’t have a website? (What are the “online” implications for our market?) Can we safely remain engaged without a web presence?
Is this trip really necessary? Is our market likely to drastically change? E.g. Online counseling, telecasework, online advocacy
What will our information needs be in five years? What will our website visitors be demanding? The audience with the highest technical need is the one to watch. E.g. Wireless technology for caseworkers? Videostreaming?
Just what makes a good agency website?
Agency and Services Information to major audiences!
Resources Bring resources into your agency!
Design Issues Access, access, access
Let’s see some good examples…
Legal and ethical worries
Just when you thought it was safe… Security issues
Internal when it crashes External when it gets hacked
Confidentiality dangers For your employees For your clients
Copyright issues Who owns what? Do you have releases?
Politics of links A link is an endorsement!
Design: Process overview
Website planning: Mission Statement Define goals, objectives and user needs
Technical planning Website sophistication, technical needs, hosting issues, usability testing, personnel planning
Website construction Actual programming, testing, revisons
Roll out Website promotion, adaptation and modification
Ongoing maintenance Policies, mechanics, personnel
Some basic choices…
Static or Dynamic website? Static: Only displays information:
Not interactive beyond clicking to links, email, or third-party donations
When you see .htm or .html in the file name it is usually a static system
Advantages: Can cheaply do “in house” or find a consultant Inexpensive to host
Disadvantages: People are coming to expect more Can’t do a lot with it besides give information Get bottlenecks, dependent on just a few people
Some basic choices…
Static or Dynamic website? Dynamic: Displays many types of information,
highly interactive, runs and integrates other programs on your computer
When you see .asp, jsp, php, .pl or.cgi in the file name, it is a dynamic system
Advantages: HTML FREE! Wide range of bells and whistles Can distribute the system to many “webweavers”
Disadvantages: Harder to rationally control and manage Expensive and time-consuming to design Expensive to host, requires a lot of server-side
resources
Some basic choices…
In house… Contracted… Static Dynamic
Web plan
Tech plan
Construction
Roll-out
Maintenance
+ Buy-in
+ Control
+ Get what was wanted!
A MOU HELPS!
-Develop time
-Learning curve
- Costs/personnel
+ Quick results
+ Expertise
+ Distribution abilities
- Delays
- Costs
- Get what you wanted?
Design: A website for whom?
Audience specification… Clients Fellow professionals Board Internal employees Donors Accreditation Other agencies
…determines sophistication
•Some bad news…•One agency website in
five is disability-accessible
•One in twenty pays attention to multiple language needs
•Over half can not be read by people with a 7th grade education
Who has what
unique need?
Design: What do you need to say?
The Basics Agency name Auspice Location Contact information
Mission History Affiliations Accreditation Board information Staff information
Design: What do you need to say?
Services information Descriptions Eligibility Geography Application procedures Fee information Apply online?
Design: What do you need to say?
Additionals Board’s business Recognitions, awards,
stories Volunteer information Student information Donations Jobs Events
Publications Links Listservs Advocacy Public Education Local Services Other languages Advertisements
Design: Navigation considerations
Bob and Darlene’s method…
Get: newsprint, regular paper, felt pens and post-its
List: “menupages” that have common contents and issues
Draw: navigation paths between the menupages
Write: Each webpage’s requirements on one post-it.
Place: Post-its onto menupages
…like so
Add the post-its…and you have your design!…and the ability to really talk with a consultant!
Design: Navigation considerations
Design: More considerations
“Two clicks” Every page should be two-mouse clicks away
Time Ten seconds max to download the homepage One second max for navigation between pages One tenth of a second max for interactive stuff
Access Disability Reading level Languages SPEED!
Getting online
Choosing a consultant, designer, or firm Look at their past work
Design, navigation, accessibility Get references!
There is nothing wrong with searching the web! Costs: hourly or project?
“They” hourly - “We” project
Do they understand NPO’s ?
Staying online
Choosing an Internet Service Provider (ISP) Rate? Flat or metered accounts? Speed and modem ratio? Software needed to connect? Storage space availability and costs? Security services? Back up? Technical support characteristics? Support for E-commerce? Domain name and URL characteristics?
Help and contact information
Dr. Darlene LynchSocial WorkAR 227ABall State UniversityMuncie, IN 47306765-285-1016 [email protected]
Dr. Bob VernonIndiana University School of Social Work902 West New York StreetIndianapolis, IN [email protected]
Website: http://hsmedia.biz
Helpful online resources (handout)
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