SeniorBrigade.comMay 2009
Project Overview
SeniorBrigade.com was a site created by the Michigan Attorney General's office for the purpose of providing helpful information to senior citizens.
The project began in the summer of 2008 and went through several distinct iterations before the final launch.
From the start the site was developed to be managed using Adobe Contribute software and a set of password-protected tools for controlling database-driven features of the site.
A key feature of the site was a searchable events calendar. The calendar could be searched by date as well as by county in which the event would be taking place. Part of the interface for this included a state map where clicking on a county would take the visitor to that county's events.
Also included was the ability to manage a set of "quick tips" that were displayed as part of the site template, with a random fact loaded on each page view.
The first design for the site was used for several months at the start of the project. It used bold colors and had a set of rotating photos to keep the page fresh. The "quick tip" was given high placement on the page and the events calendar was the primary piece of content.
By fall of 2008 the Attorney General's office decided to move in a different direction with the site and a cleaner look was developed. A video message from the AG himself was the primary focus of the page design, with the calendar and quick tip pushed down. More introductory text was added, as well as a portal area.
Just before the site's launch in 2009 one final design was put together, attempting to reconcile the AG's office's request for color with the cleaner design. The image rotation was brought back as part of the site's header and the events calendar was moved up to a more visible position on the page. All of the previously-existing text was kept and two new content areas were added without dramatically changing the page size.
The final design was never built, as the Attorney General's office handed the project off to a different group for the final launch.
