Well, really I mean when users’ needs conflict. How do you design a site that meets the needs of two different groups of users? Mostly I run into this with the sites I create for non-profit organizations.

Who are the two groups of users?

One group is the people that the organization helps. These are the ones I think of first and foremost and I try to design an easy to navigate site with lots of good information for them. This group often has some technology limitations (face it, most non-profits aren’t helping the folks in Beverly Hills with fios internet connections and the latest desktop computer). So, I make my pages lightweight and fast loading, I try to limit the graphics, and I keep in mind older computers and monitors.

The second group is equally important: donors. These might be individuals checking out the organization before they donate money or other organizations who are considering giving the non-profit a grant. It wasn’t until my client had asked for the fiftieth time for more graphics and a jazzier site that I had an ‘ah-ha’ moment.

Donors don’t necessarily read the whole site, they are the ultimate skimmers. They want to see a site that looks legitimate, looks professional, and looks alive. Lots of pictures of events that the non-profit puts on is a plus, here’s evidence that the non-profit is out there, working, making a difference.

So, are these two groups really fighting? No, not really. My biggest problem was not understanding why my client kept asking for more glitz, more graphics. Now that I understand why, I can design a site that works well for both groups.

Now, I can see how elements of the site will help both groups and design accordingly:

Photos of events: group 1 can see the non-profit is legit and therefore the information on the site can be trusted, group 2 can see the same thing and therefore the non-profit is worth donating to.

Information about Upcoming and Past Events: group 1 can see what sort of help the organization offers, group 2 can see that the non-profit is alive and well and helping people.

Instead of designing in a vacuum (the very unsettling feeling I get when a client requests that I make the design pop or jazzier), I can go back to the basics of considering the users and what they need in the site. It makes me feel much more comfortable. And my clients will both help the people they want to help and get much needed donations.

This entry was posted on Thursday, May 1st, 2008 at 12:49 pm and is filed under Web Design. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.