Websites that Work
case study - MN Academy of Science, Page 2 Our First Version
The Academy was trying to redefine its identity. A new logo had been
designed by Fuzzy Duck Designs, using sage green and purple. We began
by using these colors to create a new look for the website. Because
the Academy's identity was in transition and a good brand was lacking,
we focused on improving the site's navigation and content. We
created a temporary look for the site as seen blow.
One problem with the original site had been difficulty finding information. The original site had 7 links across the top, and from there users had to guess how to find the pages they needed out of the 1150 pages on the site. With the new site we designed focused on navigability. There was an extensive menu added to the side of the screen, and every page had its own unique menus that appeared as needed.
Another problem had been difficulty finding contact information for the Academy, so we added the address, phone, fax, and email of the Academy on every page. Each Page also contained dynamic menus that changed based on whether Users had signed in to the database or not. The dynamic links appeared in blue so they were easy to distinguish.
The focus in this version was to anticipate what links users would want on each page and give them those links to make their visit easy. Whenever someone signed in to the database they could easily access and edit their information, sign up for new events, or become a member. They no longer had to hunt for these options. The majority of the pages on the site still were related to the Academy's programs. We revised the general look of the Program Pages to standardize the information and menu items available.
This first version of the website was a teaching version - we needed to teach users of the site (many of whom had been involved with the Academy for years) about the extensive capabilities of the powerful database which drove the site, as well as the vast amount of information the site contained.
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