Family Connections Work Site

User Profiles


Adult seeking general information:

This user is a single working mother with three dependent children aged 4, 8, and 12 years old. Because this person works full-time, she has difficulty finding the time to adequately attend to her children. The youngest is in need of basic day care and preparation for entering public school while the older two are in need of academic encouragement in order to succeed in school. In addition, the mother has only modest proficiency in English that limits her advancement potential at work. She has no knowledge of Family Connections other than that such an organization exists and that it may be able to provide some of the services that her family needs. Some of her co-workers talk about taking their kids there and she notices the web address on a brochure posted on the bulletin board in the company lunchroom. Although she does not own a computer, some are available in the local library or at her workplace after 5:00 PM. These connect to the internet via modems with speeds ranging from 28,800 to 56,000 bits per second.

Web Site Characteristics:

  • Contact information readily accessible without a lot of navigation; this user may find enrollment directions confusing and want to ask questions.
  • Calendar of dates and times
  • Program information with easy-to read descriptive titles
  • Lots of photos. Pictures of happy children would raise the comfort level of any parent seeking family services; this is particularly important for users that would be intimidated by large blocks of text.

Funder seeking to donate:

Funders that will come to the Family Connections Portola web site can be divided into three categories: corporations, government, and individual donors. They will be looking for the kind of services that the agency provides and the demographics of the population receiving services. They will see at the uniqueness of the services and the need for those kind of services for the population and community. The funders will need to know who currently funds the programs, the qualifications of the staff that carries out those services, and how to contact the agency.

A scenario:
A potential funder will click on the programs section and go to the population that he or she is interested in. For example, a funder interested in funding programs for children will click on the For Kids section. He or she will look for information on the programs for children. If the programs interest him or her, he or she might go to the section on Our Partners to see how well the agency works with other community services and to find information on the current funders. He or she will also click on the About Us section to get information on the staff and to learn more about the mission of the agency. He or she will also go the Get Involved Section to see how they can contribute to the agency.

Web Site Characteristics:
  • Information on programs
  • Information on the population served, the community or neighborhood that is served
  • Information on partnerships and current funders
  • Information on the mission and staff
  • Contact information

Child at Family Connections:

This user, Maria, already utilizes the services at Family Connections and is interested in viewing the web site. She is in the seventh grade and gains access at school or at the public library on a 56k modem. She wants to see the site because she and her family have been going to Family Connections for a few years and she is excited that they got a web site.

She navigates through the whole site because she doesn't want to miss anything. She finds out more about Family Connections and gains greater respect for the services they provide. In a few years, when she is in high school, she thinks she may want to help by tutoring the younger kids. She was especially excited to see her brother's art in the Treasure Chest section.

Web Site Characteristics:
  • A strong, fun look and feel
  • Clear information on the programs and services offered
  • Non-intimidating information on ways to volunteer and help Family Connections
  • Plenty of images: examples of children's artwork and photos