TO: Jessica Pieffero FROM: Kristina Flores SUBJECT: Website Recommendations DATE: November 4, 2015 Looking at recommendations on how to make a website versatile for all viewers, I believe the American Red Cross website meets most, if not all recommendations. A website can be beneficial to a non-profit but can also direct viewers away if there is too much content on a page or it does not include enough white space. The American Red Cross website does an amazing job promoting its brand as well as giving viewers an easy to navigate website to help them with what they are trying to find. Scrolling through the website everything appears to be up-to-date. The person who creates the content does a great job leaving the readers well informed and keeps engaged in information that has occurred within 24-hour time. Everything on the site appears to be in the proper placement. You see photos and articles of volunteers synced together as well as where to sign up to volunteer. The website has an easy flow, allowing the viewer to get where they need to be. American Red Cross’s tabs run along the top of the page vertically. I like this look because once it pops up your eyes generally look at the page head on. The tabs are easy to find and are bolded, allowing the viewer to see that there is some separation from the tabs and the content. However, there is an abundance of tabs that are located near the top of the page. There are some in blue and some in black so it gives it a pretty good distinction as to what it is the viewer is trying to find. Once I clicked on a tab the content automatically popped up and was very organized. I like this look due to it being very clean and easy to find what it is you are looking for. Besides the logo and the pictures placed on the website there is not a lot of color. The logo has a pop of red in it and all the pictures on the website are in color so although the color scheme is white, black, and blue it allows the pictures to stand out, which I enjoy. Everything that grabs your attention is in red, which is usually where volunteers can get involved or where people can donate. I would like to see the tabs in a different font or color that runs along the webpage. Other than that I think it looks great. The search tool and I generally are not friends. I like webpages to bet set up like how I go shopping in a store. I walk in and the answers are just thrown at my face. If I can’t find anything on the webpage, then I wouldn’t dare to even type it into the search engine. As a trial and error I put something in the search button and what I needed

worked and popped right up, which I was surprised. The search tool does a great job at picking up key words and directing the viewer where they need to go. Donations on the site are easy to find but it is also lumped with volunteering/donating a person’s time, which I really like. Not all people have the money, so many will donate time and it is easy to navigate. The American Red Cross does a great job as letting their readers know exactly what they are all about. It is even shown on the front page in bold letters. I think that the American Red Cross webpage has a lot of valuable content for many readers and viewers. I believe that it is designed in a way that is easy to understand and navigate and will entice a reader to return. The website does a great job at getting readers to return because they have so much to offer to the daily person. They hold campaigns that make sure everyone is prepared for a natural disaster, get people involved in their community; and also share insight about local events that are happening. What sets apart a good website versus a great one is the utility. The American Red Cross’s webpage has so much content to attract readers to stay on the page for a duration of time. The website also has the different social media links attached to it so it makes it user friendly, not many people lug a laptop around so it makes their information accessible. Something that I would like to see on the website is a reoccurring update of how many volunteers the Red Cross has. They have such an emphasis on volunteer work it would be nice to see how many.