The UX Test Kitchen, a non-profit interactive agency that I co-founded and for which I serve as lead developer, recently launched its latest client site: The Orphaned Starfish Foundation. The Orphaned Starfish Foundation (OSF) is a non-profit that works to improve the lives of orphans throughout Latin America by helping them develop vocational skills, including English and computer skills. With seventeen programs in eight countries, OSF helps improve the lives of more than 3,000 children, and has plans to expand yet again later this year.
The goal of the site was to bring to the forefront the stories of the children OSF helps, to show their faces and let them tell the audience how much OSF has helped them. The idea of “story cards” evolved into the clickable images that display each child’s story. The navigation on each story panel allows the user to move from child-to-child, learning more with each click. The open, yet warm and fun design created by our design partner Andrew Tupper of Kern+Lead, makes the site feel free and warm, keeping the focus tightly on the children that the site is meant to benefit.
Award-winning photographer, Bob Cooley, was gracious enough to lend his expert eye and talent to this project, helping us capture the children in amazing color! The rest is just letting the kids speak for themselves…
So, give a click and take a stroll through Latin America, won’t you?
And if you happen to be in New York City on Thursday, October 22, 2009, OSF is celebrating its Fifth Annual Dinner and Auction Gala at the Ritz Carlton in Battery Park. The gala is held to benefit current and new projects and will feature a red carpet, cocktail reception, dinner, entertainment, and silent and live auctions. You will also be able to meet several children from the OSF programs that will be honored at the gala, as well as have a chance to meet individuals from the world of entertainment and sports, representatives of major corporations and media outlets, and community leaders who will be on-hand to join in the celebration. Tickets are available via the OSF website, we’d love to see you there!
So, please give the site a go and let me know what you think!
Cheers,
Atg