Connections : web design

Design Makes a Difference

Steve MacLaughlin — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 17:05:00 GMT

One of the best kept secrets at Blackbaud Internet Solutions is our interactive design team. Over the years we've built up one of the largest and most experienced design groups serving the nonprofit sector. We've even branched out over time to add design experts in both our London and Sydney offices.

Process Makes Perfekt
Great designers are like magicians. They make the end result look spontaneous and effortless because they don't like to reveal how they really pull off the trick. The reality is that behind the scenes it takes years of experience and proven processes to create engaging designs.

That spark of inspiration comes after days of understanding a client's brand, message, goals, objectives, audience, and what sets them apart. When our team of designers starts in on a project they immerse themselves in the client's mission and the people the organization is trying to reach. Having focused objectivity is one of those secret ingredients to the design process.

Good design for the Internet requires a mix of both art and science. The science involves information architecture, taxonomies, wireframes, heuristics, and display design principles. The art involves shape, shadow, tone, typography, color theory, photography, and the right amount of motion and emotion. The medium is different than print or broadcast, but some proven fundamentals still apply.

Blackbaud's creative director Raheel Gauba likes to say that "every pixel has a purpose." This explains why a lot of thought goes into who, what, where, when, why, and how whether we're creating a new design from scratch, improving on an existing one, or doing a complete redesign. It's about bringing the right people, process, and pieces together. It also means leaving some room for creative expression. (Like a clever spelling choice.)

And the Winner Is
The proof is usually in the results. Having successful and happy clients is very rewarding — it's also nice when peers recognize the work too. The Blackbaud Internet Solutions trophy case is filling up these days with awards from a variety of client projects. The latest is a 2009 WebAward For Outstanding Achievement in Web Development from the Web Marketing Association for the New England Province of Jesuits website.

The design and development of the New England Province of Jesuits site wasn't left to chance. It took a client that had a clear and well defined strategy, a design team that took the time to listen, a good working chemistry between communications, advancement, and information technology teams, and a shared vision about making the project a success. To the unaided eye it looks like a magic trick. Everyone that worked on the project knows the real secrets. Congratulations to each of them.

NetWits Summer Camp - Day 1 - Websites Demystified

Steve MacLaughlin — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 15:04:00 GMT

NetWits Summer Camp begins today with the Websites Demystified session. This is all part of Blackbaud's free five-day series of web seminars covering what every nonprofit needs to know about its website, email marketing, online fundraising, social media, and related metrics.

This event series is an extension of Blackbaud’s popular blog NetWits Think Tank which focuses on technology, fundraising, social media and industry trends. We sold out the event in a very short time so here is a recap of today's session:

Past, Present, and Future of the Nonprofit Website
Secrets of Successful Nonprofit Websites
The Passive vs. Active Website
Do It Yourself Website Usability
Where We Go from Here

I'm looking forward to doing today's session and all the others later this week.

5 Mistakes Nonprofit Websites Make

Steve MacLaughlin — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 15:03:00 GMT

The first website went up 18 years ago this month. Websites have done a lot of growing up since those early days, but there are still a lot of common mistakes that nonprofits make online.

I'll be covering several do's and don'ts at NetWits Summer Camp. Until then, here is a list of five mistakes nonprofit websites make:

Hidden Donate Button
I sometimes wonder if nonprofits are playing a game of hide and seek with their websites. Where do I click to donate? Is that it? Is it over here? Maybe this is it — Nope! While your nonprofit may not put online fundraising on the top of your list of website goals — it probably isn't at the bottom either. Is it easy to find where and how to give online? Don't get cute with names. Keep it simple and make it visible.

Organization by Org Chart
Many websites resemble complicated structures that look like something from the HR department. This is because many sites are designed by a committee and they often use the hierarchy of the organization as the framework for the website. Doing so might be useful if you actually work at the nonprofit, but it doesn't help your website's visitors. Make sure you include visitor friendly navigation and visual cues.

Death by Scroll
The content on your website should not read like some epic tome. Eyeballs move fast, attention is short, and patience is in short supply when it comes to your website's visitors. When writing for the Web, think Hemingway, not Faulkner. Keep it short. Keep it focused. Keep it interactive. If you have lengthy content items, then link to them but don't make them the star of the main pages.

The NASCAR Effect
This is what happens when you put so many images, logos, buttons, and widgets on the homepage that it resembles the advertising on the side of a stock car. When everything is competing for attention on the page, then the most important things get lost in the clutter. What are the top three tasks or takeaways you want visitors to have from your homepage? If they aren't obvious in seconds, then you've made a mistake.

Content Rot
The only thing worse than no content is out of date content. You can use certain tricks like showing only the month instead of the entire date, but eventually the content will start to rot. Build a calendar that outlines your website's publishing schedule and don't let it go too long before adding fresh new items. And at least once a year you should review all the content and clean it up, archive it, or throw it out.

Sign Up for NetWits Summer Camp

Steve MacLaughlin — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 18:07:00 GMT

Today, Blackbaud is announcing that registration for NetWits Summer Camp is now open. NetWits Summer Camp is a free five-day series of web seminars covering what every nonprofit needs to know about its website, email marketing, online fundraising, social media, and related metrics. The “Camp” will be held August 24 to 28 from 1 to 2 p.m. EDT.

The event series is an extension of Blackbaud’s popular blog NetWits Think Tank which focuses on technology, fundraising, social media and industry trends. NetWits Summer Camp will provide participants a broad knowledge of critical nonprofit technology concepts and how to best implement those technologies within their organization.

Websites Demystified
A website is one of the main cornerstones of your online initiatives, but are you making the most of it? This session will cover how your website fits into a nonprofit’s communication, interaction, and engagement efforts. Topics to be covered include website architecture and design, usability, content management, personalization, and how nonprofits can improve their online presence.
Monday, August 24 at 1 p.m. ET — Register Today! - SESSION FULL

Email Demystified
A successful email marketing program combined with an effective website form the core of your Internet efforts. This session will focus on the different types of email communication, ways to build your email lists, and best practices for getting the most out of your email marketing program. Topics to be covered include list building, segmentation strategies, design do’s and don’ts, understanding spam, and how to improve your email results.
Tuesday, August 25 at 1 p.m. ET — Register Today! - SESSION FULL

Online Fundraising Demystified
The Internet continues to be the fastest growing area for fundraising in the nonprofit sector. Using a website, email, and other channels can help improve overall fundraising results for your organization. This session cover how nonprofits are taking their online fundraising efforts to the next level and beyond the simple “donate now” button. Topics to be covered include online donation form do’s and don’ts, building a targeted online giving campaign, and how peer-to-peer fundraising plays an important role in all of this.
Wednesday, August 26 at 1 p.m. ET — Register Today! - SESSION FULL

Social Media Demystified
There is a lot of talk about social media these days, but how does it fit into an overall online strategy? This session will focus on how nonprofits are using Web 2.0 tools like Facebook. YouTube, Flickr, Twitter, and many more to help engage and communicate with constituents. Topics to be covered include an overview of the social media and networking landscape, examples of nonprofits using these tools, and how to begin developing a social media strategy for your nonprofit.
Thursday, August 27 at 1 p.m. ET — Register Today! - SESSION FULL

Online Metrics Demystified
The combined use of a website, email, online fundraising, and social media brings with it a lot of powerful metrics to measure your results. This session will cover what are the key online metrics to measure, what they mean, and how to manage them on an ongoing basis. Topics to be covered include metrics for the web, email, online fundraising, and social media, industry benchmarks and trends in online metrics, and how to pull them all together to measure your online success.
Friday, August 28 at 1 p.m. ET — Register Today! - SESSION FULL

I hope you'll be able to join all or most of these sessions. Space is limited so be sure to sign up soon.

NetWits Think Tank Blog

Steve MacLaughlin — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 16:37:00 GMT

The NetWits Think Tank blog has been churning out some great content lately. There's a growing group of contributors from Blackbaud behind this blog. It's a very good mix of subjects, experts, and advice about thriving in the digital world. Here are a couple of my recent favorites:

Design for Good: 4 Nonprofit Design Principles - Part 1 of 2 by Raheel Gauba - Any article that includes the phrase "Every Pixel has a Purpose" has to be good, right?

Social Media Strategy: 12for12k Challenge with Danny Brown by Frank Barry - Learn more about the 12for12k Challenge and how social media is being used to raise fund and build awareness.

Tangible Love by Courtney Sakre - This one is about how to make better connections with donors and go beyond the typical "donate here" approach to online giving.

Recipe for Search Engine Visibility by Dominic Taverniti - This one covers some basics behind better SEO and SEM tactics for nonprofits.

News, Notes, and New Stuff

Steve MacLaughlin — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 13:58:00 GMT

Changing the Look
Blackbaud launched the latest version of our corporate website today. Some different approaches to presenting information, content, and a much bigger emphasis on different types of media including video testimonials and podcasts to mix things up. There is also a focus on presenting some of the stories from across our 19,000 clients. And finally, the new site presents some brand and identity changes that have been in the works. Hats off to the team that put in a lot of hours pulling off this redesign. It's never an easy task.

Changing the Meme
Every year I try and take in a bunch of different concerts. And with each passing year the number of lighters used during the rock ballads continues to decline. Instead the concert air is lit with the luminosity of mobile phones. There was a very telling moment at NTC last week when the air was full of iPhones. I caught a concert last night with a friend and we were simply gobsmacked by an entire venue lit up by phones. I'm waiting for Bono's magic trick from a few years ago to start becoming more common place.

Changing the Location
Tomorrow morning I'll be flying out to San Diego for AFP's 45th International Conference on Fundraising. There are some great sessions lined up for this year and I'm looking forward to the keynotes by Jane Goodall, Bob Geldof, and Kevin Carroll. I'm fortunate enough to be presenting at AFP for the second year-in-a-row and I will be posting my presentation online next Monday.

Changing the Transparency
Next week our product development team will be code complete on Blackbaud NetCommunity version 5.5. In the past, we have done feature review sessions with clients prior to the actual release and they have always been well received. That will continue but I'll also be posting sneak previews on this blog over the next few weeks. There are some really exciting new things on the horizon.

Extreme Website Makeovers

Steve MacLaughlin — Thu, 31 Jan 2008 20:53:00 GMT

(originally posted on BlogBaud)

Before coming to Blackbaud in 2004, I spent many moons on the interactive design/information architecture/user experience/visual communication side of the world. So while I’ve been immersed enough in the technical bits & bytes to grok about it — my interest and passion has always been with the human rods & cones side of things.

A major focus when we started building our Blackbaud Interactive group was to provide a comprehensive set of design services. This meant bringing in a lot of talented designers with experience in both the for-profit and nonprofit world. I’m proud to say that we now have one of the largest and most experienced interactive design teams serving the nonprofit industry operating from both our Charleston and London offices.

Blackbaud Interactive recently began work on its 100th complete website redesign project built on NetCommunity. What started out as a new part of our overall online design services has grown dramatically. The team does a variety of redesign strategy, information architecture, usability testing, content analysis, creative concept and styleguide design, and other services for our clients. I thought I would share some important lessons learned to help organizations about to undertake any website redesign project.

Don’t Accept Blind Designs: There is still a practice of design shops offering to do “blind design” or “speculative design” in an attempt to earn a client’s business. This usually involves a design shop taking some thrown together or recycled designs and presenting them as part of their RFP or proposal. There might be some initial “ohs” and “ahs” but these fade once discussions start about a client’s goals, objectives, brand, etc. Good creative work never happens in a vacuum. Good creative work takes careful analysis, two-way discussion, and uses a proven process that brings the best ideas to the surface.

Don’t Design by Committee: A camel is a horse that has been designed by a committee. Committees often destroy the creative process because more minds don’t necessarily mean more great ideas. Groups of people have the tendency to pile on so many extras that the original concept collapses under its own weight. Getting buy-in from various stakeholders is important, but our experience has shown that making a single individual or small group responsible for approving creative concepts is the best approach.

Don’t Fall Prey to the NASCAR Effect: The homepage of a website is one of the most important parts of any online presence. And everyone wants to have their program featured front-and-center. This explains why the main page of so many sites resemble the front quarter panel of a stockcar. Lots of graphics, icons, links, sections, callouts, and content in a small space — all fighting for eyeball attention. If everything is important, then nothing appears important. Not to mention that their are actually some heuristics around how much is too much and what is usually just right.

Don’t Move All of Your Old Stuff: If you bought a brand new house, then you probably wouldn’t you just move all your old stuff in without doing some clean-up. Otherwise you end up with a great new place that quickly starts looking just like your old digs before too long. A site redesign offers a great opportunity to go through all of your content, images, etc. and give them all a good scrub down. In addition to any new information architecture or content analysis activities there should be some content cleansing. A good rule of thumb is updating or dropping any non-historical content that hasn’t been updated in eight months. Also check the website traffic logs for least visited pages that might need to be revived or retired.

Don’t Launch without a Soft Launch: Sadly, I’ve seen it too many times. After months of redesigning a brand new site comes the big public unveiling and within minutes someone finds a typo or a broken link or something worse. This usually happens because there wasn’t a soft launch of the website to certain key insiders and a select group of external constituents. Get a fresh set of eyes on the site before launching it to the rest of the world. Even the best designers and content authors develop a certain amount of “tunnel vision” from staring at the same pages for too long. They practice the coin toss for the Super Bowl. You should practice the launch of your website.

These are just some of the key pitfalls to avoid when launching your newly designed online presence. The website you save might be your own.