Creating trust: The website of SOS-Kinderdörfer weltweit

The background

The basic principle of SOS-Kinderdörfer worldwide is caring for children in need. The child care organization which is globally active depends on donations and support. Therefore, the appearance of the website has to communicate a high level of trust and credibility.

The starting point

SOS-Kinderdörfer weltweit has continuously expanded its existing website www.sos-kinderdoerfer.de. In the course of time, the original navigation structure could not master the extensive contents any more, which caused difficulties among users to find relevant topics quickly and easily. The visual appearance of the website did no longer meet the desired quality standard either. Together with UID, the organization SOS-Kinderdörfer weltweit started to redesign the website.

The objectives

• Developing an attractive, easy-to-use and persuasive website
• Meeting the needs of different groups of users such as sponsors, supporters or press members
• Communicating credibility and trustworthiness
• Enhancing the willingness to donate and support

The procedure

First, a usability test determined the requirements of the users. The UID usability engineers analyzed the strengths and weaknesses of the website. Furthermore, the test respondents were interviewed about their need for information and their expectations as regards the structure and the design. Another focus was the question of the optimal balance between emotional address and objective information. The questionnaire AttrakDiff™ showed to what extent the website has a pragmatic and emotional character.
Based on the test results, the team of SOS-Kinderdörfer weltweit designed the information architecture of the new website together with the UID usability engineers.
In a joint look-and-feel workshop, the basic concept for the new design was developed and subsequently documented in a styleguide by UID usability engineers and designers. To implement the website in a content management system, the UID software engineers prepared the required templates.

The result

"The result shows consistent orientation towards the expectations of our website visitors. The creativity, the high sensitivity of UID for the brand and the close project collaboration enabled this result", says Sebastian Spaleck, Project Manager Internet at SOS-Kinderdörfer weltweit.
The logical navigation concept allows the users to easily find relevant information. Clear and vivid colors draw the user's attention to the three main items "Become a sponsor" "Donate and Help" as well as "Information". The requirements of the users are consistently in the focus. The new website now strengthens the trustworthiness and credibility of SOS-Kinderdörfer weltweit.

Project reference from 2009

Links for further information

• Web Solutions at UID
• News at uid.com: UID and SOS Kinderdörfer weltweit present appealing relaunch
• UID-Microsite: The questionnaire tool AttrakDiff™
• Website: SOS-Kinderdörfer weltweit (in German)