Structuring Your Site

CWA's Guide to Establishing and Maintaining Local Websites

Structuring Your Site: Navigation, Usability, and Structure

General Design Considerations
Union-Specific Design Considerations
Examples of CWA Local Sites

Structuring Your Site: Navigation, Usability, and Structure

A well-designed Web site is one that blends the following components:

design;
navigation;
usability;
functionality; and
interactivity.

Ideally, sites should be easy to navigate and should contain clear, concise, and consistent directives on where and how to find information. As a rule, most basic sites should contain no more than six to eight main homepage links, which may, if necessary, be supplemented by a secondary set of sub-links. Usually, sets of links are grouped together. For example, information links, such as "About the Union" and "Bargaining Information" should be grouped separately from action links, such as "Send Us an E-Mail" and "Site Search."

The CWA Local 1301 Web site below is an example of a site that successfully blends navigation with graphics and information. Click on the picture to go directly to the webpage.

The Web site interface should include a readily recognizable structure that may include the use of color to help navigation or other elements that consistently carry over to all levels of the site. Such elements should also remain in the same areas on all site pages so as not to confuse the visitor. (In other words, a left-side homepage navigation bar should remain on the left on all of the site's pages.)

The aim of the well-designed Web site is to provide a sense of flow and cohesiveness, and consistency from one page to the next. Such sites should be readily identifiable, no matter what page the visitor is on, and the major navigational elements should carry through to all levels of the site so that the visitor never gets lost.

In addition, the pages of sophisticated sites often fit into the 640-wide by 480-high dimensions of a typical laptop computer screen, so that the viewer does not have to scroll much beyond the first screen to find linked information.

General Design Considerations

Among a few of the general questions to ask when designing a site:

Is the site easy for a typical member to navigate through?
Is key information easy to find?
Is the site attractive?
Is the site updated frequently?
Do site components accommodate different browsers and computer types (Mac vs. PC, laptop vs. full-size monitor)?

Along with the design, the content and structure of the site should ultimately work together to meet the goals and needs of the local. This is a simple concept, and yet it is also one that many organizations ignored as they initially scrambled to establish themselves on the Web.

Union-Specific Design Considerations

Now that you are familiar with many of the general considerations surrounding developing a Web site, it is time to address you local union's distinct needs. Does the site:

Reflect and carry out the goals of the local?
Provide for two-way communications through e-mail?
Capture visitors' e-mail addresses?
Allow non-members and agency-fee payers to inquire about becoming members?
Have a union organizing section?
Serve organizers, stewards, and leaders, as well as members and the general public (and if so, how effectively)?
Include the union's newsletters and other publications?
Contain political action information?
Offer information on worker and safety and health issues?
Include links to other unions' or locals' sites?
Serve the needs of members (or is it more of a leadership showpiece)?
Take into account bandwidth, modem speed, and computer capabilities of the union's members?

Examples of CWA Local Sites

One of the best ways to get ideas for your site is to look at other successful local, district, and international labor union sites. You might want to start by taking a look at the CWA international site and seeing how the structure, navigation, and graphics work together. Then look at other Web sites to see what you like and don't like about them.

Following are examples of successful CWA local sites, grouped by category, to give you some ideas for your own site. (For links to all CWA local sites, click here).

Design/Layout
Attractive, clean design; key information is easy to locate.