Built for Action — Website Redesign
Website Design — Graphic Design — UI/UX Design
Overview
For this project, I was given the task to research multiple existing websites surrounding the subject of social causes. The name of the website I chose to redesign was one that I had previously worked on. Knowing it is hard to look at your own designs and not find the bad in your creations, I came in with a critical eye for major improvement to help Paws4Elders obtain a credible and reliable identity.
Paws4Elders is a newly founded non-profit organization seeking to enrich the lives of senior citizens through the human-animal bond by being an all-in-one resource to access to animal interactions and support for seniors in the San Diego area. Repeated studies have shown that interactions with animals can help stem issues of loneliness and declining health that are common among seniors.
Low-Fidelity Wireframes
Since the Paws4Elders website is one I was lucky to have designed prior to having any UI experience, I am finally able to apply what I’ve learned this semester through the amount of practice and research I’ve done.
When creating the Paws4Elders website, we must think of who is going to be visiting and navigating through the website. Plenty of design choices has been created and made due to this factor. It is most likely that seniors or their caregivers will be accessing the website, therefore creating a website that is easy to navigate, visually comprehend, and read is the highest priority amongst all other things. The following are initial wireframes.
Color + Font Choice
With the new version I’ve created, I picked the same colors but made them bolder and more professional-looking.
Considering the user personas who will be accessing the website, the font family Poppins is easy to read sans serif font and gives a modern feel. Knowing that patrons, along with Seniors and their caregivers will be accessing the website, it was an important decision to make since we want to keep the website as professional as possible while maintaining it friendly and accessible. Poppins is also a free and accessible font family to use, there will be no purchasing needed to be done by the non-profit.
Design Choices + Solution
For the overall design and structure of the website, a lot of time was placed into considering what the user will be seeing first, second, and last, and how efficiently they will be navigating through the website.
Each landing has a heading and subtitle text to give the user an overview of the content that follows. This design choice was made to keep users informed and find what they easier, without having to scroll through. This keeps users engaged and enhances their understanding of the purpose of the page. This is followed by an arrow at the bottom and text that reads “scroll down.” By including this detail, the user is guided through the website and eases navigation.
While incorporating new and old styles, such as the modern linear designs with a traditional drop shadow, this website design achieves a modern professional look and feel. The website maintains its integrity and enhances the feeling of trustworthiness.
One of the pages that were necessary to focus on was the Programs & Services Page. The page encounters the most traction and visitation from its users, as they are searching for resources. The main goal of Paws4Elders is to be able to connect seniors with resources related to the human-animal bond, and this page is how they will be able to guide them to what they need and desire.