East Bay Center for the Performing Arts
Website Audit
“For over 50 years, in the heart of Richmond, California, more than 50,000 student artists – from all walks of life – have shared a home where they have found within themselves the means to develop skills that enable them to think, lead, and contribute to the world around them.”
Role
Site Auditor, Consultant
Timeline
December, 2020
Tools
Google Spreadsheet
Context
In preparation for a redesign of their 40 page site, the Performing Arts Center put out a call for a site audit. The audit was a highly informative step in the redesign strategy, which provided an opportunity to see the site at high level, as well as form a solid understanding of the many parts that make up the whole. Main objectives for the new site were to make it more accessible and user-friendly for the two major audience groups: donors and students.
Process
I took on the project and completed the audit in two days. I then worked with a Development and Communications associate to go over my findings and recommendations to distill them into actionable steps for the redesign.
Content categories that emerged in the audit were: Center Information/Mission, Programs, and People (team, students, donors, alumni).
Center information and mission content was dispersed throughout the site on multiple pages and lacked in concise language and presentation.
Programs information was distributed under three separate navigation categories.
People category was unnecessarily segmented into multiple pages and needed templated presentation.
Additionally, the site missed the mark in providing a straightforward user experience for students and donors.
Login action was duplicated on two pages, creating confusion.
Register action was presented as an option on Login page only, and did not exist as its own top-level category.
Donate action was part of the main menu, but lacked context and visibility.
Lastly, the site significantly lacked in visual cohesion and style. Majority of pages were very info-heavy with no attempt to visually organize the content or create information hierarchy. Buttons and links were used interchangeably. There was no baseline standard or template for page layout.
Full audit spreadsheet can be found here: East Bay Performance Center Website Audit
Proposed Changes
Armed with these insights, I proposed a process of redesign that would address the different facets of the site and bring significant improvement to the following areas:
Content organization and consolidation from 40 to 29 pages in service of the organization’s message and mission
Revised navigational categories and groupings to support clarity and ease of use
Visual design direction to establish a strong brand and provide a system for visual hierarchy of information
Modified UI for important actions, such as login, register, and donate in the form of buttons, rather than menu items
Standardized and consistent use of common user interface elements (buttons, links, etc.)
Next Steps
Redesign is a work in progress and a matter of getting all the stakeholders on the same page. Existing site prior to these proposed changes may be viewed here: www.eastbaycenter.org