This website was created for the Montana based non-profit organization "An Eternal Vision." They run boy and girl summer camps along with other events and wanted someplace they could point people to which would allow them to view and register for upcoming events. A good first impression that emphasized the organization's values and the option for the organization to manage the event listings themselves were two key points of my site's design.
The Problem
There were two main priorities they had that my site needed to meet. First, they wanted to ensure the website gave a good first impression, which conformed to their already existing identity and emphasized their organization's values and beliefs. Second, It was important for them to be able to manage the list of upcoming events users could see and sign up for themselves. As a still rapidly growing and changing organization, they needed to make sure that potential clients had a firm identity and vision to rally around and that they could manage the events listed on their website themselves.
The Solution
When designing their website I made sure to incorporate their already existing logos, mission statement, and color theme. This consistency helps reinforce their identity and vision into their users from first contact with the site. Next, I created an admin interface only accessible to those with specified privileges where they can create, edit, and delete events. These events are then listed on the site allowing users to see and sign up for them. On the sign-up form, there's a dropdown that lists all the events that can be signed up for. This dropdown is auto-populated and the correct event is automatically selected when a user signs up for an event providing a seamless user experience. Lastly, after spending time talking with people at "An Eternal Vision" I learned that, as a non-profit, they got most of their money through donations. I suggested adding a "Donations" page where users could learn more about how to donate to the cause. The organization liked my idea and told me to go ahead with adding the page.
Applied Skills
Tailored Design
The focus of the design for my site isn't to just look good, sleek, or fancy, but to capture the identity of the organization. Plenty of sites hope to stand out by using flashy designs that only serve to distract from what they really want users to focus on. Instead, I went for a more minimalist approach so that users could quickly and easily learn everything they need to about the organization and upcoming events.
Custom Features
The ability to create, edit, and delete event listings required a lot of custom programming that would not be possible through any drag-and-drop website designer or third-party plugins. The auto-population of the event selection dropdown on the sign-up form is another example of a simple, yet valuable, feature that requires building these elements from the ground up. A rarer and rarer skill these days.
Solution Focused
My goal is not just to create a website for my clients, but to help them and their vision succeed. I worked with the organization to really get a good understanding of what they needed and why. The design went through many revisions before we settled on the final. Several of the elements in the final design were proposed by me since I'm always looking for ways my work can help them achieve their goals.