Developing a website requires the application of multiples skills which enhances the utilization of multiples cues for maximum effects. This seems to be a complicated task that requires ingenuity and innovativeness on the part of the website designer. While this is not necessarily false, there are, nevertheless, some basic requirements through which a website achieves maximum effect. This includes the choice of colors, choice of words, incorporation of multimedia tools, and the general organization of the website.
The World Resources Institute’s approach to environmental management involves transforming “ideas to protect the earth and promote development because sustainability is essential to meeting human needs and fulfilling human aspirations in the future” (“Who We Are” par. 3).
To meet its objective, WRI uses its website as an online knowledge sharing tool where users can access knowledge and information freely. Since WRI intends to use its website to achieve the desired effect on the user, it, therefore, incorporates multimedia tools, the use of color, and the choice of words in the written text. Thus, the website’s coolness and warmth communicate clarity and practicability of WRI’s mission, which enables users to develop optimism on environmental sustainability.
WRI’s website seems to be the institution’s online knowledge sharing tool. WRI’s website is a one-stop destination for students, organizations, civil societies, educators, government agencies, and departments seeking practical solutions to sustainable environmental management. To harness the usability of the numerous resources within the website, WRI has opted to incorporate documents, charts and tables, audio and video clips as well as photo slides. This has multiple effects on website users. The website’s color scheme combines a white background, a shade of deep light green as the main color. There are also scattered colorful links incorporating shades of cool and warm colors.
This gives the visitors a cool and warm reception which works well to communicate the website’s appeal and the enhancement of WRI’s main agenda; propagation of peaceful and mutual relationship between people and the ecosystem. It is imperative to note that the color scheme and the photo slides are the most eye-catching homepage features; the color scheme due to coolness and warmth and the picture slide due to its central location within the homepage.
There are also drop down windows on the homepage menu bar that links users to other pages within the website, which contain useful information. These windows dropdown with much ease, and are depicting page content thus enabling the user to navigate the website with ease.
To avoid cluttering the homepage, the videos are not embedded on the homepage but are to be found at strategic locations in subsequent pages. The audiovisual tools are few but well detailed with relevant information. Overall the website is not only simple to use but also warm, resourceful, and easily captures WRI’s clarity, practicability, and optimism regarding environmental management. The website also avoids portraying a negative impression on the current status of the global environment.
As indicated earlier, WRI’s website is a one-stop information resource center. The website is useful for a variety of users ranging from students, civil society, government agencies, scholars, educators, journalists, and policymakers. After launching the website, a pop-up window requests the user to identify which of the category mentioned above the user falls, with a clear reminder that such information is used to improve the website to meet all the users’ needs.
WRI’s website is a very useful resource for students (in the post-secondary level of education), scholars, and educators undertaking environmental management studies; these find credible and scientifically verifiable information on the website. Additionally, government environmental agencies, NGOs, and journalists are likely to find useful resources within the website. But while the above mentioned constitutes the websites most probable audience, not all who fall within these categories are likely to find the websites appealing. The website only appeals to those with a clear and optimistic mind as well as those seeking “to build practical solutions to urgent environmental challenges” which will lead to sustainable environmental management (“Who We Are” par. 2).
The approach to environmental management varies, depending on the motives and incentives available; some environmental managers prefer to adopt a cautionary approach, others a theoretical approach, while others prefer the proactive approach (Harrington and Morgenstern 15 to 17).
Harrington and Morgenstern’s (15 to 17) assumptions seem to auger well with WRI’s approach to environmental management. While environmental management is a sensitive issue with a global appeal, WRI through its website demonstrates the commitment towards working “with governments, companies, and civil society” in efforts to develop a practical approach that “goes beyond research to put ideas into action” (“Who We Are” par. 1).
While this indicates WRI’s practical optimism, it nevertheless portrays WRI’s as the most effective sustainable environmental advocate and is likely to dilute credible work done by other bodies such as UNEP. The website’s text also reveals concealed WRI’s self-praise in “its success stories which portray WRI’s system of managing for results, and the push towards designing robust strategies that ensure success and accountability” (“Success Stories” par. 3).
While such statements reflect the WRI approach to environmental management, the word choice is indicative of WRI’s commitment to using its website to communicate the practicability of a sustainable environment. Additionally, the website’s textual feel is indicative of achievable success in sustainable environmental management by employing relevant technical jargon which highlights WRI’s “top outcomes and success stories that reflect a positive change in the world” (“Success Stories” par.1). The copy, on the other hand, denotes achievable economic benefits as a result of WRI’s work which helps communities to protect “environmental capital through improved access to environmental Justice” (“Success Stories” par. 2).
The analysis of the websites reveals subtle differences between genuine WRI successes and self-praise. Nevertheless, such differences do not create unintended desire or negative appeal. On the contrary, the websites portray a clear image of a proactive approach to environmental management. The website does not negate the influence of human activities on environmental degradation but prefers to highlight clear and practical actions through which people can easily accrue benefits from a sustainable environment.
This seems to be WRI’s overarching aim, and as such the website craftily utilizes numerous tools, especially those described within this essay, to impel users to seek simple and practical steps in managing their environmental capital. Thus, users of the website gradually develop the desire to bring positive change in the management of available environmental resources. In addition to this, WRI creates valuable lessons on the need to not only appreciate environmental resources but also utilize them efficiently and effectively for social-economic development. Such an apple is mostly achieved through images that portray communities enjoying the benefits of a luxuriant ecosystem. Thus, through its website, WRI instills in people the desire to protectively utilize environmental capital to meet their current and future needs.
This is unlike OneWorld UK’s website which adopts radical activism. Coupled with alarming images of a decimated natural environment, OneWorld UK portrays grave danger if the utilization of natural resources is not significantly reduced (“Environmental Activism” par. 5). As such WRI’s website implicitly discourages people from adopting a radical approach in the management of environmental capital, and instead seek solutions that enable them to “reverse rapid degradation of ecosystems and assure their capacity to provide humans with needed goods and services” ( “People & Ecosystems” par 1).
As demonstrated earlier, the website utilizes numerous tools, namely photos, videos, ads, tables, charts, and text to effectively communicate its desired message. This effectively improves the users experience while using the website since it appeals to the user’s multiple senses. One of the greatest failures of the website though is its inability to harness the usability of social media tools, especially on its homepage.
Other websites, such as OneWorld UK’s, pops up a social media window whenever a user swipes the curser near the social media links. This function is conspicuously missing from WRI’s homepage. The social media links are squeezed at the top of the homepage obscuring the website’s social media functionality. This denies it the opportunity to improve interactivity among users. However, this shortcoming only exists on the homepage and is sufficiently compensated for in subsequent pages, especially the news page.
As previously described, the website utilizes multimedia messages which are typically used to emphasize WRI’s intended message and enforce implied message. The purpose of using multimedia typically is inline with the website’s commitment to clarity, straightforwardness, and practicability. As such, the website’s multimedia messages seem to be chosen to communicate WRI’s goals and objectives.
Concerning the use of multimedia, it is also imperative to note that, while OneWorld UK’s utilizes multimedia messages that typically portray gloom and a decimated natural environment, WRI’s website, on the other hand, posts carefully selected pictures, videos, and audio clips that portray successful communities enjoying the benefits of a thriving ecosystem. While this magnifies WRI’s successful outcomes, it also underlines WRI’s commitment to promoting peaceful and mutual relationships between people and ecosystems.
Thus, instead of causing alarm in the way OneWorld UK does through its website, WRI’s websites do well in encouraging people to seek practical ways through which peaceful and mutual relationship with the ecosystem is achieved. A typical use of multimedia within the website also underlines WRIs clarity of vision and focus.
The development of a successful website requires not only understanding basic web development tools but also goes beyond understanding the purpose for which the website is to be used. Web developers ought to understand the particular mission and vision of a website and incorporate tools from which maximum effect is achieved. WRI’s website does this excellently, and not only sets itself well above website from other environmental advocates but also helps it attain the long-lasting effect. This emanates from the fact that WRI utilizes numerous multimedia tools that appeals to users of multiple sensory cues. Thus, the website is very effective in enhancing WRI’s message.
Works Cited
Environmental Activism. 2012. Web.
Harrington, Winston, and Richard Morgenstern. Versus Command and Control: What’s The Best Approach for Solving Environmental Problems? Economic Incentives. 2004. Web.
People & Ecosystems. n.d. Web.
Success Stories. n.d. Web.
Who We Are. n.d. Web.