Overview
Your agency has been selected to propose a new Website design for Boys & Girls Clubs of America (BGCA), a national nonprofit dedicated to helping all youth reach their full potential.
BGCA's current Website, www.bgca.org, has not been significantly updated from either a design or technology perspective in a long time, and does not take advantage of updated technology and strategies for engaging its audiences. As Microsoft provides a powerful set of tools and technologies, bgca.org should incorporate those into its main site to meet the needs of its users. Whether referring to mobile media, social networking or interactive features, bgca.org falls short. And an abundance of Microsoft technologies can be utilized to bring bgca.org into a new decade of Web 2.0 significance.
Designing an engaging Website to attract and retain donors, media and parents and caregivers is vital for BGCA to generate awareness, raise funds online and fulfill its mission to enable all young people, especially those who need us most, to reach their full potential as productive, caring, responsible citizens.
About Boys & Girls Clubs of America
For more than 100 years, Boys & Girls Clubs of America (www.bgca.org) has helped kids "BE GREAT," providing hope and opportunity for those who need it most. Today, more than 4,300 Clubs serve some 4.5 million young people through Club membership and community outreach. Boys & Girls Clubs can be found throughout the country and on U.S. military bases worldwide, providing young people 6 to 18 years old with guidance-oriented character development programs conducted by trained, professional staff. Clubs positively impact lives and help young people reach their full potential as productive, caring citizens. Key programs emphasize leadership development; education and career exploration; community service; technology training; financial literacy; health and life skills; the arts; sports, fitness and recreation; and family outreach. In a recent Harris Survey of Club alumni, 57 percent said the Club saved their lives. National headquarters are located in Atlanta.
Assignment
It is your team's assignment to submit a proposal for the website redesign built using Microsoft tools and technologies which will be optimized via design, navigation, and interactivity to help increase online donations and subscriptions from the public, assist parents and engage media, all while promoting the good work of Boys & Girls Clubs and the notion that Great Futures Start Here.
Your presentation will be evaluated based on five criteria: content and communication plan, structure and navigation, visual design, integration of Microsoft technology, and scope of interactivity. Please see the Judging tab for additional details on the five criteria.
Taking into consideration the three identified personas (detailed below) of BGCA's potential audience, BGCA offers you the following guidance:-
Update the BGCA site to be more visually appealing and interactive reflecting contemporary design trends and user experience interactions.
- Refer to http://marketing.bgca.org for standards and guidelines when using the BGCA logo.
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Expand the functionality of the site: Allow its audience to utilize rich internet applications, social media, video or other tools appropriate for today's audience with the creative and compelling usages of Microsoft tools & technologies to address the client's needs.
- BGCA participates in Microsoft's IM initiative. Learn more here:
- BGCA currently engages audiences through the following social media networks:
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The newly designed site must showcase unique features and functionality made possibly by: (1) the Microsoft Web Platform (found at www.microsoft.com/web); (2) Microsoft Silverlight. Additional credit will be given for the integration of other Microsoft technologies, products, or tools. See the Challenge homepage for descriptions and links to Microsoft technologies you can incorporate into your strategy.
The Microsoft Web Platform
- Information on the Microsoft Web Platform can be found at www.microsoft.com/web/platform/.
Microsoft Silverlight
- Silverlight is a cross-browser, cross-platform and cross-device browser plug-in that helps companies design, develop and deliver applications and experiences on the Web.
- Information on Microsoft Silverlight can be found at www.microsoft.com/silverlight/, which includes important functionality such as rapid creation of sophisticated Rich Internet Applications, delivering high quality video, Smooth Streaming, Deep Zoom, perspective 3D Graphics, and Out of Browser experiences for the Web that run on the desktop.
Potential Microsoft technologies, products, and/or tools
- Windows® Internet Explorer® 8 - Web Slices
- Windows® Internet Explorer® 8 - Accelerators
- Windows® Internet Explorer® 8 Visual Search and Search Suggestions
- Microsoft® Photosynth™
- Windows Mobile 6.5
- FAST ESP® - Enterprise Search for Internet Business
- Microsoft Live Services
- Microsoft® Office SharePoint® Server 2010
- Microsoft® Tag
- Windows® 7
- Zune HD
- Xbox 360
User Personas
As a parent with adult children, Bob cares about his community and wants to support organizations which serve the families and youth in his town. Using the Internet, Bob wants to research an organization which he feels will strengthen his community and advocate for youth and families.
Once he finds the right organization, Bob will donate online to provide support. If engaged, he will continue to provide ongoing support on a monthly basis to make sure children and teens have a rich, fulfilling experience in the critical hours after school before parents arrive home.
Bob works full time and has a limited amount of time to find the right organization. He is looking for an easy-to-find Website with valuable background information and a safe and secure way to donate online.
Abbey is the single mom of two children. While she holds a full-time job, her income is limited and she needs after-school and summer care for her son, age 8, and daughter, age 10. First and foremost, she is looking for a safe place with caring staff to assist her kids with homework and transportation to and from school. After a full day of school, her kids just want to play and have fun.
Because of limits on her time and money, Abbey would like quick answers to important questions regarding her options for after-school and summer programs.
Always on a deadline, Cathy needs accurate information and she needs it now. She needs access to experts, photos, good statistics and a story with a human element, one that keeps her readers wanting more.
Cathy covers the education beat for the metro area. With constant cutbacks from the state, the area school system's resources are stretched to the limit. Some 30% of high school students don't graduate on time. Her community wants answers and Cathy wants to deliver solutions to them.
She is familiar with Boys & Girls Clubs and understands they provide homework assistance, technology centers and more. Cathy is likely to publish a Club-friendly article if she can find supporting documentation quickly and download resources – photos, video, press releases and more – to supplement her work.
