Advocacy on the Web: An Evaluation of a Nonprofit Advocacy Organization's Use of the Web to Support its Mission and Goals

This paper describes a usability study conducted on the Web site of the Agricultural Resources Center, a nonprofit environmental advocacy organization, to determine if the site effectively communicates the mission and goals of the organization. Through surveys, interviews, and the observation of eight participants interacting with the site, this study found that participants perceived the content on the site to be valuable, trustworthy, and of high quality. However, the presentation and navigation of the site interfered with participants' ability to successfully experience or learn from the content. Participants requested more opportunities to take action, a clearer, stronger message about the objectives and services of the organization, and a more appealing layout and design. Participants' perceptions guided a number of recommendations to improve the presentation, navigation, and quality of the Agricultural Resources Center Web site, and thus, improve its ability to effectively communicate its mission and goals