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Tips on redesigning a large website

Websites, like the organizations they represent, often grow in size and complexity over time. At some point, they outgrow the design that made sense when they were smaller and less complex.

Since its founding in 1973, Philadelphia Corporation for Aging has become one of the region's largest non-profits by adding and expanding programs and services that help seniors stay as healthy, independent and productive as possible. As you might expect, PCA has a large website — pcaCares.org — to help seniors gain access to all those programs and services.

Acting on evidence that some seniors were overwhelmed by the site's complexity and had trouble finding things, PCA conducted usability studies to determine where the issues were. The result was a decision to redesign the site with a simpler, cleaner and more inviting user interface. The agency asked Hollister Creative to help.

When redesigning a large website:

  1. Focus first on who is coming to this site and why. Provide an obvious entry point on the Home page for each major category of information or audience.
     
  2. Create a landing page for each major category that acts as a portal to all the related content.
     
  3. Provide not only a full-site keyword search but also targeted search options with drop-down menus that help visitors quickly find the resources they are seeking.