Site Launch: Top Honors
I just completed a pro bono project at Netsoft USA for a local non-profit called Top Honors; they provide free math tutoring to middle school students in NYC. The project was a soup-to-nuts redesign, including strategy, information architecture, copy development, and WordPress implementation.
Project Notes
The goal of the site is not only to raise awareness of the Top Honors mission, but to drive users to donate, volunteer, or get math help. We took an audience-centric approach, splitting users into their unique user types at the outset of the site experience. Whenever possible, we provided telegraphic calls to action, as well as reinforcing messages such as testimonials and statistics to foster confidence. We were fortunate to have excellent photographs of actual Top Honors tutoring sessions to make the experience feel that much more real.
Because this was a pro bono project, we had to be creative on the implementation without sacrificing the quality of the user experience or the ability of Top Honors staff to maintain the site in the future. Therefore, WordPress was chosen as a free, lightweight CMS. This allowed for an integrated blogging platform that should help drive traffic to the site.
In addition, we used Top Honors’ existing Google Calendar rather than implementing a custom-built tool. This allows Top Honors to update one calendar and have it populate their website with the latest information.
We used a highly-rated WordPress theme called Purity, but we made significant edits to the UI to make it match the Top Honors brand. The site features integrated social features for sharing and following, integration of videos, and a live Twitter feed on the blog.
Take a Look
If you’re interested in supporting Top Honors, volunteering, or getting math help for a middle school student, please visit Top Honors today!
I would only like to add that I feel fortunate to work for a firm, Netsoft USA, that demonstrates its commitment to the community by supporting organizations like Top Honors with pro bono assignments like this.
