Utahns for Ethical Government
Project Brief
As UEG’s mission started to gain momentum, they decided to refine their online messaging campaign. Their existing website had loads of good information, but it was difficult to sort through and lacking in aesthetic appeal. The initial objectives included a visual makeover, better information organization, and an easier means for updating content.
First Iteration
Every one of my projects starts out by identifying the principle objectives of the site. In this case it was well understood: UEG wanted to get their message out to the masses and get signatures on their petition. Most of the signatures had been gathered by setting up stands in libraries and outside malls, but that is not a very effective method in a place as big as Utah. This first design features a large and unambiguous call to action - Sign the Petition! Clicking the graphic took the visitor to a page where they could either sign online or find a signing station in their locale.
A side bar provided links to hot topics and recent news on relevant issues. Social networking links were added to the home page to help spread the word. Site traffic increased dramatically within a few weeks, and the site became an important source of signatures for the petition.
Second Iteration
Encouraged by the success of the new website, UEG hired a couple of professionals with experience in political action committees. An updated set of objectives was developed for the site, which included online donations and a professional produced video commercial that would run on local cable channels. The home page was modified to suit the new objectives, with large links leading to specific areas of focus. A slide show of famous Utah landmarks added some visual appeal. The header area was made smaller to bring more focus to the new calls to action.
The marketing team came up with a clever idea for targeted donations - site visitors could specify that their donation would be applied to running the video in a certain region of the state. To enable this, we built an interactive map of the state that was tied into PayPal - each city had a different suggested donation amount, tied to the market rate for running a commercial in that area and on that particular cable network. The map was created so that each clickable area was tied into a different PayPay category, allowing the donations to be tracked on the backend and applied to the appropriate area.
Current Iteration
The principle objective - gathering a certain number of signatures - was achieved, which means that the UEG initiative will appear on a ballot initiative. Until that time, it is important to keep the issue alive and fresh in the minds of voters. After a brief consultation, we decided to change the website to be news and information oriented. The home page was redesigned for the third time, and is now consistent with what visitors expect from a news site. The most recent article appears in the top left (most important area of the page) and is larger than the four older ones that appear beneath it. Clicking on any of them brings you to the story detail. As new stories are entered, the current top story is replaced and moves down, while the oldest of the four moves off the page to make room for it. The Content Management System takes care of ordering stories and resizing images, so adding new material is as simple as typing them in. All stories are archived on the news page and can be browsed by category. The right side column continues to highlight stories and issues that UEG wishes to present - then can specify which items appear by simply assigning a category to the items in question.
