Exercise3B: Elements that Drive the Design
of the Cultivation Children’s Center Web Site
The Cultivation Children’s Center Web site has three main business goals. The first and
MAIN goal is for the site to instantly grab the attention of the parent or guardian. The sec-
ond goal is to have the most important information available to the user immediately with
contact information right there. The final business goal is for the site to be easily updated
by the administrative staff of Cultivation Children’s Center. This easy update feature will
make it possible for attending parents and perspective parents to be aware of current school
events, activities and features.
The main target audience for this web site is the busy parent, because the truth is, all par-
ents are busy! Busy parents are the heads of families of all shapes and sizes. Family, eco-
nomic, religious and cultural diversity is embraced at Cultivation. The parent-user needs
to be able to find all their information quickly and with ease. The parent-user will not be
too concerned with a ‘flashy’ site but will be impressed with a succinct, well written and
cleanly designed web site. The same things parents consciously look for when they visit
the actual day care center will be subconsciously important when they visit the web site.
Parents look for cleanliness when they visit a day care center, they look for responsible and
educated people to care for their children and they look to see their children will have fun
being there.
The average user profile is the busy parent who needs to research and schedule day care
visits, applications and interviews in their limited time. These parents are technology and
internet savvy but don’t have much time for flashy and time consuming web sites.
Julia Brown is a good example of one typical user. Julia has just moved to the Atlanta area
with her 2 year old son, Ben. Julia is a 37 year old, single mother and corporate lawyer.
Julia often works long hours but is afforded a large salary that helps her surround Ben with
plenty of positive role models and activities. Julia’s mother, Helen, has come to Atlanta
with Ben and Julia for 3 weeks while the family gets settled in their new home. Helen has
to be home in Nashville in 3 weeks because she is leaving for a European vacation with
her seniors group. Julia arrived in Atlanta the day before she started her new job, she has
left the unpacking to the movers and her new housekeeper and the tending of Ben to her
Helen. Julia needs to find a good day care center close to her new office that will be able to
give her a tour either after hours or on a drop-in basis. Julia’s first impression of Cultiva-
tion will be through the speedy, yet informative web site. She needs to find out all she can
without even picking up the phone.
The main design goals of The Cultivation Children’s Center web site are in this order; Easy
to navigate, visually clean and fun with informative graphics. Parents will want to see as
many images of the actual school as possible. As stated earlier the same things that parents
will consciously look for when they tour the actual day care center are what they will be
looking for by the overall appearance of the web site. A lot of the visitors to the web site
will be first time parents who might not even have met their own expecting child yet and
this web site will be their first venture into the whole day care experience! With that in
mind it’s time to make a good visual impression. This web site is a very important element
for the Cultivation Children’s Center as it will be the new parent’s first experience, as vir-
tual as it may be, to a day care center.
The Cultivation Children’s Center web site will be set up in an extremely fast and easy to
navigate way. It will have a home page that has a phone number and e-mail address link
available for easy phone contact info and from the home page users will be able to easily
get to the following main and sub categories:
MAIN: About Cultivation Children’s Center
SUB: Our Team (Staff-Management Bios), Our Philosophy, Our Programs,
Our History (images of actual facility and layouts of classrooms)
MAIN: Certification Information: NAEYC, etc. (with Links to accreditation web sites)
MAIN: Location, Map and Directions: emphasize easy to get to
MAIN: Regular Tour Times and how to schedule a tour.
MAIN: Extra programs available: WiggleRoom®
Rachele McGinty-Mock
DIGITAL STUDIO I
GRDS 720, Summer 2006
Professor Deshpande
