website design
Animal Welfare Society
A non-profit in southern Maine that doubles as an animal shelter and pet care resource center for families.
Animal Welfare Society (AWS), is a a non-profit based in Kennebunk, Maine, dedicated to providing shelter, care, and resources to pets and their families. Serving as a safety net for lost and homeless pets in York County, AWS collaborates with rescue groups, offers community programs for pet families, runs a Community Veterinary Clinic, and delivers accessible spay/neuter and wellness services throughout Maine. With a compassionate staff, dedicated volunteers, and foster families, AWS supports the human-animal bond and creates a healthy community for all.
![The new Animal Welfare Society homepage on a laptop](https://bytes.co/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/AWS-laptop-1024x726.png)
Project Details
- SERVICES USED
- TECHNOLOGIES USED
- WordPress
- Shelterluv API Integration
- Blackbaud Integration
- The Events Calendar Plugin
- Gravity Forms
- KEY HIGHLIGHTS
- Clean & Organized Design With a Welcoming Vibe
- Improved Navigation & Presentation of Information
The Challenge
Many years after working with us on an initial website build, Animal Welfare Society (AWS) approached us with a clear vision for their website redesign. Overall, the new website needed to be more than just a search tool for finding a new animal companion; it needed to be a platform that showcases the incredible work AWS does on a daily basis. To accomplish this, one of the primary goals was to enhance the site’s usability, making it easier for visitors to find the information they need quickly and efficiently. The previous website not only lacked a mobile-friendly layout, but also felt condensed and cluttered, limiting its reach and potential impact. AWS also expressed the need to simplify content management for site administrators, ensuring that updating and maintaining the website would be a straightforward process. Finally, the new website would also need to resonate with users across the full emotional spectrum, from the joy of adoption to the sadness of surrendering or losing a pet.
Our Approach
To address the challenges faced by the Animal Welfare Society (AWS), we took a multi-faceted approach to the redesign process. One of the key features we implemented was a real-time animal search powered by the Shelterluv API, integrated into the adoption page to provide users with up-to-date information on available animals. We customized the display of this data to ensure a seamless, on-brand experience, complete with user-friendly filters. To further improve user experience, and also streamline content management, we created easily editable sections for resources, staff, events, and blog posts. Combined with an open layout, purposeful redundancy of key information, and an embedded Blackbaud donation form, users now have clear pathways to access and support AWS’s services. By implementing these solutions in a new WordPress website, we successfully created a functional, user-friendly, informative, and welcoming platform for AWS’s diverse community of users.
![Screenshot of the new Animal Welfare Society homepage](https://bytes.co/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/screencapture-animalwelfaresociety-org-2024-05-28-12_27_12.jpg)
Homepage Layout & Design
Strategically presents information and key navigational points to provide clear user pathways.
- Mega Menu & Utility Menu
- Large CTA Buttons for Key Services
- Sections to Showcase Mission & Values
- Featured Pets Section
- Quick Links Bar in Footer