Michael Fan
“Rumah Anugerah” Critique (To Dian)
I like the subject matter of your project. It is a very noble cause, and it is obvious that you have spent a lot of time in Indonesia working with the organization, so that you are personally invested in it. It is unfortunate that RA does not have the resources to create a large advertising campaign to promote its cause. I really like how your website will allow them to reach out to readers all over the world. There is certainly demand, since they want to convey their message, and there should be thousands of people around the world who would like to learn more and help in any way possible.
In order to maintain the website, you state that most of the resources required will be your own personal time. You also say that you would be willing to absorb the costs by paying for them yourself. I think that when your website grows sufficiently big, the costs will begin to increase significantly, which may provide a financial problem for you. I suggest asking for some donations from readers for yourself as well, in order to defray the costs of the servers, the time you spend, etc. In addition, perhaps RA could also help you with financial support if it turns out that the costs will be heavy and become a problem for you to handle.
Since you have not made your site yet, I cannot comment on the layout or usability. However, I can easily see the benefits for the user and for RA in the website. RA will be able to get their message out more effectively, while I’m sure that many people on the web would love to contribute to such a good cause. I would make sure to emphasize the background of RA and show the reader why it is so important for the organization to receive additional funding. You could discuss the hardships the children endured because of the civil war, and how they need money for education and the necessities of everyday life. Emotional appeals will be important as you get user to sympathize with the children.
For example, I think that the profiles of all the children should be in a very prominent section of the site. Since you say that the number of children is relatively small, it might be possible to have a page for each child, with a picture, short biography, and whatever other information that you think could be relevant. In addition, maybe you could start a sponsorship service for each child, so that a reader could choose to sponsor a specific child instead of donating to the organization as a whole. That way, the person donating money can feel a much more personal connection.
The presentation that you made in class was excellent. The pictures that you showed in the powerpoint really affected me, and I knew that you were supporting a great cause. Your verbal descriptions were also very well done. You did an amazing job on the presentation, and I look forward to seeing your website!
