Jakob Nielsen discusses Web site usability for non-profits
Howard Lake | 10 October 2002 | News
Non-profit technology site Techsoup.org publishes an interview with usability expert Jakob Nielsen.
The fact that non-profits often have very small budgets for Web design is actually a benefit for them, argues Nielsen in his interview with Karen Solomon. It “keeps them from some of the excesses of Web design (such as rich graphics and multimedia).”
Given that many non-profits reach out to underserved people, “accessibility is definitely more important for a non-profit than for a commercial Web site,” adds Nielsen. He recommends that at all times non-profits ensure their sites are simple to use.
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Comparing non-profits to for-profits, he thinks that non-profits are in a better position to seek user feedback. “Nonprofits are more willing to speak to people on their own terms,” he say, “in order to meet their needs. As compared to corporate sites that are marketing-oriented, nonprofits are more down-to-earth, and they’re cleaner in what they have to say. Marketing sites force the user to read through the gloss.”
Read “Jakob Nielsen: Web Site Usability and Accessibility for Nonprofits – Reaching your entire audience” at TechSoup.
About Howard Lake
Howard Lake is consultant editor of UK Fundraising. He founded the site in 1994 and successfully sold it in 2022. As director of Giving X Ltd he is exploring growing giving on a massive scale.
He is the founder of Fundraising Camp and co-founder of GoodJobs.