Key Takeaways:
- e9digital created a clear, engaging platform for Lead to Empower that supports educators and promotes growth.
- With busy teachers in mind, e9digital focused on user-friendly UI/UX, ensuring fast, impactful browsing.
- Unique plus-sign visuals and growth-themed imagery brought the site to life.
Teachers are the saints of today’s society. On average, they work 15 uncontracted hours per week, 12 of which are unpaid. It’s no wonder that teachers are the most burned-out career in the US. They simply don’t have time to jump through hoops for career development opportunities, even if they want to. That’s why Lead to Empower needed e9digital’s help. The company is a leadership development organization with the mission of supporting teachers and educational leaders to grow to their full potential. Lead to Empower offers three critical services for education:
- Leadership and Instructional Coaching
- A Leadership Development Pipeline
- Strategic Plans for Organizational and Systemic Change
While the founder, Dr. Jacob T. Michelman, had a straightforward pathway for actionable and measurable results for all his services, the website was confusing and difficult to navigate. The true message of the non-profit was getting lost in all of the information. He hired the e9digital team to enhance the current site through user-friendly design and compelling visuals. Additionally, the site needed to lay out Lead to Empower’s consulting services in a way that made educators understand the benefits for their institutions.
“We were thrilled to be brought on for the project. Our team loves to dig deep into educational content, having crafted websites for non-profits such as Elevate Teaching and institutions like the UC Davis Institute for Food and Health.” - Jesse Cohen, Creative Director | e9digital
59% of people prefer a well-designed website over a basic one if pressed for time…
… and educators are constantly pressed for time. They can’t waste time on a website with a clunky interface, difficult-to-read colors, or cluttered content.
e9digital’s creative challenge was to employ best practices for UI/UX and modern design to develop a site that targets school teachers and leaders looking to build capacity, systems, and effective workflows. That starts at the homepage.
Our designers have tried and true systems in place to create a compelling experience as soon as the visitor lands on the website. Our homepage design best practices include:
- A top menu with the logo on the left and links to interior pages and CTA (call to action) buttons on the right.
- A hero image that introduces the company and invites the visitor to take action.
- An about us section that delves deeper into the mission and values.
- A services section that outlines what the company offers in a compelling way.
- A final CTA that encourages the user to take action. They are more likely to convert once they’ve read the whole homepage.
- A footer that offers a framework of the whole website, making it easy for visitors to jump to what they need.
While this framework rings true across e9digital websites, we make changes depending on the needs of our clients and their target market. For Lead to Empower, we included an additional section on actionable and measurable results. This gives educators a preview of the company’s process and how teachers can expect to learn and grow.
Engaging, impressive iconography to elevate the website’s look and feel
Content is only half the battle when grabbing an educator’s attention. The website needs a modern, clean design that’s appealing to view. Our designer took inspiration from Lead To Empower’s abstract logo, a heart made from plus signs, to elevate the stock images.
Instead of using a circle or a square, as commonly seen in website design, our designer used a plus sign to outline each image. The idea of connection and growth in the logo mark worked really well with the imagery of teachers and education. This unique take creates cohesion across the site and ensures Lead to Empower stands out from their competitors. The plus sign appears again in abstract bullets to distill information, drawing the user’s eyes and staying true to the branding.
Additionally, our designer implemented a visual of a seed breaking through. This represents all of the potential in education and teachers. Unless you water it, it will remain dormant. Lead to Empower’s services unlock their potential so teachers can bloom. These visuals are overlaid with data points, supporting the idea that Lead to Empower’s actionable and measurable results contribute to growth and change.
“This looks really great. I love how you integrated the plus sign–it got me excited! - Dr. Jacob T. Michelman, Founder and President | Lead to Empower
Our team at e9digital crafted a visually compelling, easy-to-navigate, and purpose-built website for educators. By incorporating a clean layout, strategic content structure, and visuals that resonate with Lead to Empower’s mission, e9digital launched an online platform that clearly communicates the organization’s impactful services to teachers and educational leaders. The redesigned site reflects Lead to Empower’s goals of fostering growth and transformation within academic communities.
A number of educational institutions and non-profits have worked with e9digital because of our tailored approach, commitment to mission-aligned design, and ability to build user-friendly sites that make meaningful connections with target audiences. With a deep understanding of the unique needs in the education and non-profit sectors, our designers craft digital experiences that generate leads and grow businesses. For more information on how we can help bring your organization’s website to life, contact e9digital today.
