.net magazine Design Challenge: Politics
.net magazine gave three leading web designers the task of mocking up the official site for a Member of Parliament. One of the three designers was Fortune Cookie’s very own Paul Lyons...
The brief
Design the front page for the online presence of a Member of Parliament. It should take a fresh approach, be professional-looking and appeal to older citizens, plus the younger generation who are bored with politics.
Close up – Paul Lyons’ solution
About the site…
Tracey Shorter is a fictitious MP for the Do Not Disturb (DND) Party. Tracey’s constituency is the town of Greater Fortune in Cambridgeshire. Her new website is personable and friendly and our design focuses on the needs of its users, Tracey’s constituents. It also reflects Tracey’s outgoing personality. The content has been arranged to stimulate debate and user-generated content. Tracey’s constituents should feel comfortable contacting their MP and our design encourages them to get in touch. The navigation tabs at the top of the page separate UK issues from local ones, making it easier for people to find information about the issues that concern them. We’ve also made it easy for constituents to find relevant information in Tracey’s blog posts, campaigns section and other resources. The navigation also contains a link to a section that caters for teenagers. The site includes podcasts, videos, live chat, blogs and forums that all help Tracey to communicate her opinions and party policies, raise her profile and stimulate debate. She needs to know what her constituents feel about local and international issues. Hot Topics (the most popular items from the Forum) are displayed in the centre of the page. A large feature is devoted to “Tracey says”, an area where she can post her response to questions from constituents and visitors from outside the region she represents. Constituents are also encouraged to upload their own digital videos, podcasts and images to the site.
1 Navigation
The navigation has been kept simple, with clear signposting for the different types of users.
2 Use of images
Photos of Tracey add personality to the site. The images break out of the standard grid to give the page more depth.
3 Key issues
A Flash feature cycles through Tracey’s main concern, providing constituents with a quick insight into her topical and key areas of interest.
4 Podcasts and video
Watch or listen to Tracey’s latest speeches in the House of Commons, latest TV appearances and clips uploaded by constituents.
5 Branding
Red is an emotionally charged colour. It’s bold and focuses on key areas of the site. The colours are also brand-consistent.
6 Eye-tracking
The initial designs were user-tested and tests included eye-tracking. The results of the tests informed the navigation.
About Paul Lyons
What have I been doing?
The most exciting project I’m working on at the moment is a virtual help assistant avatar using Illustrator and Flash.
Sites I’ve visited
www.last.fm
Keep track of what you listen to and build music communities while you work.
www.veer.com
A great designers’ font library. Typography at its very best.
niquimerret.com
Looks at best practices to make Flash as accessible as possible.
What have I been watching?
The new series of Prison Break and 24. I’ve been a fan from the start and can’t get enough of them. Also the nostalgic Life on Mars series, which has just restarted.
What have I been listening to?
Sergio Mendes, Timeless. This album has had a major rebirth on my iPod. The tracks have a great Latin feel to them from various artists, delivered in many different styles.
This article was originally published in Issue 162 of .net magazine May 2007