Red Cross Before and After Comparison

After

Focus. Focus. Focus. With a title that takes up less vertical space, shorter copy, visual groupings of donation options, and easing the bright boxes on the left down the screen, we've put the focus on how you can donate. We've given donating cash - the most common donation method - extra emphasis.
Visitors are able to narrow their search quickly now that donation options are grouped in the center of the page and have subgroups with distinct titles set in a larger font and against a highlight color.
The call to action is still "Donate Now." The difference? Now you know at-a-glance how.
Cutting the introduction and giving the Campaign Spotlight a subtitle helps the Spotlight not be missed. We also made the Spotlight copy shorter, making it easier to scan.
It's clear what to click now. Using a consistent link color that is a dark blue and underlining the links makes the links easier to read and leverages an affordance for clickability.
The help message for visitors who have trouble accessing the Online Donation Form is now close to the link that may give visitors problems.
Shorter Web addresses are easier to remember and type. They also take up less space in your print collateral. Shorten the URL to: http://www.redcross.org/donate/
View the improved version full-screen »

The focus of this page is ensuring that you know where on the site you are. If you want to donate, r oll up your sleeves and start scrolling, and don't be distracted by the shiny objects on the left.
Donation options are scattered around the page - on the left, at the top, and one screen down.
The call to action is "Donate Now." If you scroll, you'll see that you can donate by phone and by mail, but nowhere are you told explicitly how to donate online.
Since visitors don't usually read Web pages, the introduction will usually be skipped. Since the Campaign Spotlight (which is on Matching Gifts) is indistinguishable from this copy, it will easily be missed.
Links that are various colors, often low contrast with the white background, and not underlined are difficult to read and make it hard to know what is clickable.
The help message for visitors who have trouble accessing the Online Donation Form is a full screen below the link, making it easy to miss.
The Web address (URL) is longer than needed (http://www.redcross.org/donate/donate.html).
View the original full-screen »