educational sites
We have designed many educational sites that include elementary schools, high schools and district websites, including a site designed to encourage support of an upcoming bond levy. All of these sites share easy navigation and a clear delivery of the client's message. However the messages being delivered are different than business sites, and even varies between schools.
Elementary Schools: An elementary school site needs to be very user/student friendly, provide easy access to lesson plans, and most importantly it should showcase the students. Every one likes to see their picture published, especially younger children. For that reason photo albums are a common feature included in our educational sites. Often times a mini-slide show is used as the opening page. Having a home page that changes all the time keeps students and parents coming back for more.
High Schools: These sites also need to provide access to educational material in addition to providing a central location for information on school activities such as concerts, sports, and community activities. This scheduling information proves to be very important to the students and their families.
School District Site: The site designs for the main District site needs to be done on a more professional level since it's target audience is a broader one, and the information to be delivered is focused more on the operation of a school district rather than providing educational support.
The audiences that need to be addressed with the District site include parents, district staff (administrative, teachers, and support), the community, and prospective residents looking to move into the district Each of these groups are all looking for different types of information. Student achievements, the financial status of the district, district policies, etc. To satisfy these needs the site needs to be well organized, and the information should easy to locate.
key features...
The sites all include the use of modern design techniques:
- cascading style sheets,
- javascript, and
- accessibility features
Yet the sites are not over-burdened with all the "bells & whistles" that are available. This allows the customer's message to be at the forefront, not the technology used to deliver it. You can preview some of these features on the design options page.
