Planned Parenthood Affiliates of New Jersey

Introduction
In 2008, we were hired by Planned Parenthood Affiliates of New Jersey to revamp their online presence with a dynamic, fully functional website to improve their web-based outreach efforts and better communicate with their core audience.

Their original website had a uniform page design, consistent color scheme and a great deal of relevant, useful information. However, the colors and layout were both outdated, the organizational structure of the content was confusing and the content management system did not allow the organization to make simple adjustments to their site, such as highlighting urgent action campaigns on the home page. The main navigation was disorganized and unappealing, with users forced to scroll down the page to access vital content. Perhaps the biggest problem was the lack of an above-the-fold e-mail sign-up box to help Planned Parenthood grow their mailing list organically.

In Conclusion
White Horse Strategies always approaches web projects with two basic goals – provide site visitors with easy access to relevant content and do so in an aesthetically pleasing manner. The redesign of the Planned Parenthood Affiliates of New Jersey was no different. We sought to retain key aspects of the original site – namely, links to multiple sections of the site and quick, front-page access to key resources – while updating their photos and color-scheme to be more modern, warm and inviting. We created new original icons for the most crucial sections, including a large map of Health Centers across the state which peeks just above the fold and compels the visitor to scroll down. We added an e-mail sign-up box to the masthead, a rotating image box on the front page to highlight critical issues and news stories with extra photos, and added teasers to articles in the two main news feeds.

HPAE - Health Professionals and Allied Employees

Introduction
In 2009, when Health Professionals and Allied Employees (HPAE) – New Jersey's largest nurses and health care union – needed to overhaul their website, they turned to White Horse Strategies for help.

This redesign would require a complete ground-up approach, integrating HPAE's existing branding with a state-of-the-art website for external and internal communications, issue advocacy and member services. The original HPAE website lacked a dynamic content management system and instead was based on HTML-only files that had been edited, cut-and-pasted, disassembled and reassembled countless times year after year. The result was something akin to a cork bulletin board – snippets of information were tacked on wherever there was open space, with no regard to organizational structure, search engine optimization, or graphic design. The union's wealth of vital information was lost in a sea of random links and outdated news updates with no photos, no discernable graphical branding and no organization.

In Conclusion
After carefully archiving the original site's content – years worth of newsletters, reports and forms for members, detailed information about member benefits, issue-specific reports on healthcare, etc. – we began the exacting process of loading it all back into a SQL database-driven site built with a dynamic PHP-based content management system. We created a fresh, clean look for the redesign, matching the site to branding developed for HPAE's print materials. While maintaining links to a vast array of content with drop down menus and spotlight areas, we sought to simplify the front page of the site to eliminate information overload. The result is a much more organized and user-friendly hub for all visitors, both within the organization and without.

Epilogue

Introduction
Although HPAE's redesign in 2009 was a big improvement over their former website, after a year of use we all realized that they required more interactive and informative spaces on their front page, as well as more organizational structuring for the interior. With over 20 locals to feature, as well as state and national news, this required another complete website makeover.

In Conclusion
HPAE's redesigned layout in 2011 is vastly different from the original in 2009. While the main front flash is now smaller, it also features a pager - so visitors can skip slides quickly and easily - and more room for headlining and summary text. Under the main flash is a rotating carousel - an easy way to get more photos on the front page, and direct visitors to less hot-topic sections of the site.

This layout also features numerous more sidebar boxes across the front and interior pages, including a box with links to every single one of HPAE's locals. This is a great and easy way for either a local member or anonymous visitor to find the local of their choosing quickly. And finally, the front page now features three larger blocks for updates; what used to be smaller boxes under the flash on the old layout is now a feed which can host images as well as text.