According to the June 2009 Neilson Online rating, just about 74% of people in the United States use the internet. These days when consumers want or need information, it’s likely they will go to their computers, phones, or other wireless devices to search databases for what they need. Businesses that don’t have Web sites lose out on customers who would rather virtual shop first—finding out if a store has what they need before going to purchase it.
This scramble for information via the internet is now affecting schools. Parents, potential employees, and community members are now asking educational institutions large and small for their Web address, or where to go on-line to find more information about the school. With enough social pressure, administrators finally feel it’s time to start investing in their school’s Web site and on-line presence.
The initial response is to farm out the Web design or site to the IT department, or a schoolteacher who just happens to be handy with computers. It’s cost effective. It can be done quickly. It’s easier than outsourcing. However, many school Web sites these days are designed with the “something is better than nothing” philosophy. Very little thought is given to the most critical part of on-line communication—the rhetorical situation.
Just what is rhetorical situation and why is it so important? The rhetorical situation consists of the audience, purpose, and context of communication. In order for a Web site to be effective for the user, it must be designed with these three things as the initial framework.
Audience
When designing your school site, it is crucial to know whom you are designing it for. Will the main users be parents? Potential employees? Teachers? Students? In all probability you’ll want the site to reach a variety of people, but knowing who the main users of your site will be influences how you write the text and design the layout. A Web site geared for use within the organization, say for teachers, administrators, support staff and the like, will read much differently than a site designed for parents, prospective employees, and the general public.
What prior knowledge will your audience already have? Teachers know when the school day starts and ends, unlike new families. Parents don’t need information on how to get fingerprinted, renew teaching certifications, or insurance benefits. Knowing who will be using your Web site and focusing the information to that audience will help your Web site be effective and meet the needs of your user.
Purpose
Once you’ve decided who your target audience is, the next step is to determine what you want your Web site to accomplish. Are you looking to hire more teachers? Is there a need for support staff and bus drivers? Are you a private school looking to recruit new students and families? Do you simply want to update families in your school or district with the news, events, and monthly lunch menus? Again, chances are good you’ll need your Web site to accomplish a few tasks—provide the families with a school calendar, inform new-to-the-area parents about your school, and advertise job openings within the profession. It’s important to remember that most users go to Web sites to find information, not read long blocks of text, or peruse through your site for the fun of seeing different design elements. Make sure you know what it is you want your user to accomplish, and then gear the rest of design and layout—especially navigation—with that goal in mind.
Context
The final thing to consider when designing a school Web site is how your users will utilize the information. Since it’s obviously a Web site and not a flyer, brochure, or instruction manual, you already know that typically the user will be sitting at a computer. These days however, people can access the internet from home, the office, their Blackberry, and now even their cellular phone. Will people sit down with a cup of coffee at home and spent 10 or 20 minutes reading each page of your school site? Or will they log on to check a game date, dismissal time, or to find a phone number for the school nurse? Once you’ve determined who will use your site and what you want each user to accomplish, you should gear your design, content, and writing style towards getting the information across. Would bullet points be more effective than a long block of text? Is it crucial to post every detail of the student handbook, or only the most important ones such as dress code, school lunches, and attendance rules? Most likely your user will browse your site looking for information. Having a clear picture of your audience and how they will use your Web site will help shape the rest of the design.
Unfortunately, many schools and districts set up a Web site without considering the rhetorical situation. Many probably don’t even realize that analyzing the audience, purpose, and context is a lengthy first step. Regrettably, this often leads to ineffective Web sites, containing too much or not enough information, poorly organized information, or information your user doesn’t even need to know. If parents in your community can locate teacher benefits, but not the cost of school lunch, your Web site has missed the mark. That means people won’t use your Web site at all which is time and money wasted. Can your school or district afford that?
