Web Design Case Study 2

Wild Water Kayak Club

www.wwkc.net

Wild Water Kayak Club is a large sports club representing the many disciplines which fall within the definition of Kayaking.  Their website needs to reflect a lively, energetic group of enthusiasts with a love for the excitement of their sport.  It will need to carry a large amount of information as there are many disciplines and it will be important to retain clarity while also giving the impression of a busy, bustling club.

Photographs and videos are hugely efective in a site like this, creating the atmosphere of the sport in a way that only the very best writing could aspire to.  Members see themselves and their friends in action and can be invited to submit their favourite photos for inclusion in the site or in the photo galleries.  This video from the home page provides an excellent introduction to the excitement, fun and freedom of kayaking.  This video is embedded from YouTube and among the many benefits of a Sole Control Solutions website is that the editor can add videos to other pages on the site.

A photograph is randomly chosen from a group representing all the kayaking disciplines and appears on the home page.  Each time the home page is visited a new choice is made.  This is one of the many techniques that can be used to ensure a sense of freshness and to involve members.

Photographs do not always make for good banners but in this case the chosen photograph says just about everything you would want to say to the visitor.  It represents the range from very young to mature members, fun, safety, group activity.  And for those looking for more excitement the video is very near by, as are the links to the other disciplines.

Colours and shades have been chosen from the banner photograph for use around the site.  This has a unifying effect and makes for a watery theme thoughout.  Colour balance and matching is extremely important and small adjustments that the eye can barely see will often make the difference at the final stages of attention to detail.

When dealing with a large amount of information, clear, understandable navigation within the site is absolutely essential.  This site has many sections reflecting the broad nature of the club's activities.  It is the club's main method of commucating with members  so it is crucial that when members visit the site they can find the information they need, easily and quickly.  Here a long list of links is made much easier to use by clearly defined sections.  Visual effects are not just used for their own sake but to guide the eye to information required in order to take the steps you want your visitors to take.  If you find that more that a very few of your visitors are reporting that they have not been able able to find something on your site it is always advisable to review.  Both owner and designer can be decieved by the fact that by definition they already know where to look.  A certain amount of road testing will always be necessary in order to be sure that your site is as clear as you think it is. 

You will notice from the image below that the Forum on this site is placed beside the home page on the top navigation bar.  This reflects the importance of the forum to a site like this. The club is so large and diverse that is almost impossible for all members to meet together at any one time so the website is, in fact, the club meeting place.  It is the main way that members can communicate with each other regularly and easily and fosters a sense of community.  You can see that there are currently some 13,000 posts in the chat section.

Another communication tool on this site is the calendar.  Organisers can enter events into the calendar which appears on the appropriate day:

The event highlighted here on the 18th of April will when clicked on will open a new page giving full details of the event.

The importance of a content management system that can be easily used and that will be capable of keeping all aspects of a site like this constantly up to date is self-evident.  Every aspect of the site gives the impression of people enthusiastically communicating with each other about their shared interest.  A wonderful page created by the site owners shows the power of concise text and great photographs.  This page was created without using any HTML or other web design knowledge.  Click on the screen shot below of the Wild Water page to see the whole page with its brilliant photographs which convey the speed and excitement of the sport.