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

Design: Navigation considerations

Draft and put the menupages on the newsprint…

Design: Navigation considerations

Add navigation…

Design: Navigation considerations

Make a post-it summarizing each webpage…

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 dlynch@bsu.edu

Dr. Bob VernonIndiana University School of Social Work902 West New York StreetIndianapolis, IN 46202317-274-6717rvernon@iupui.edu

Website: http://hsmedia.biz

Helpful online resources (handout)