Case Study - FROST VALLEY

(www.frostvalley.org)

THE CLIENT
Frost Valley YMCA was established over 100 years ago and is now one of the largest independent Y camps in the United States. It is nestled in a scenic 6,000-acre residential camping, environmental education, and conference center located in the rural community of Claryville, NY. Frost Valley YMCA employs 100+ year-round staff, 200 seasonal employees, and depends upon the efforts of hundreds of volunteers. Each year, an estimated 30,000 individuals benefit from programs and services supported by its $8 million budget.

THE CHALLENGE
Frost Valley’s sprawling web site was complex, poorly organized and stale. The design did not present Frost Valley as a creditable force, did not increase their visibility, and did not speak directly to all their target audiences. Perhaps most frustrating of all, their dependence on a minimally available web master made the site difficult to update.

Frost Valley desired a lively, easy-to-navigate hub of useful information. They wanted to encourage visitors to enroll in programs online and needed to establish a system to capture vital contact information for efficient marketing. Finally, they wanted to effectively leverage their competitive advantages and strengths as a unique community with offerings of high quality and lasting impact.

Although Summer Camp for children and teens is Frost Valley’s “bread and butter,” multiple constituencies visit the site seeking information about the following offerings:

- Family, Group and Conference Programs
- Environmental Education
- Adventure Trips
- Adult Education and Recreation Programs
- Elderhostel® Programs
- Hiking, Cross-Country Skiing, and other Recreational Opportunities
- International and Cultural Programs
- Scientific Research Projects
- Raptor Center
- Educational Farm
- Volunteer and Employment Opportunities
- Special Events

Frost Valley wanted to fulfill the needs of each site visitor and enhance public perception of their offerings beyond the well-known and popular programs for children and teens. They determined adults; families; non-profit, business and spiritual retreat groups; and Elderhostel participants should receive an equally strong focus.

THE O\W SOLUTION
The O\W team presented a series of discovery challenges to Frost Valley staff to facilitate definition of the needs of their core markets. Through meetings and questionnaires, O\W team leaders acted as “consultant catalysts” actively assisting Frost Valley as they determined core audiences and visitor needs.

“We went the extra mile with our information architecture process,” says Ric Dragon, CEO of O\W, “and really involved Frost Valley in defining the look and feel of a very user-centric site that reflects their values and mission. And, although it was a very complex project because there are six main user groups, from summer camp goers to those interested in ongoing scientific research projects, we categorized and presented an enormous amount of information in a system that appears simple and makes sense. We also created a new look and feel that left no doubt about the quality and impact of Frost Valley’s offerings while enhancing their profile among their peers.”

To create the site, the O\W team focused on usability, rather than flashy technologies, and made a basic HTML support site that is intuitive, easy to navigate and comprehensive. Although the site is very large, XX pages, it’s simple and straightforward from a user’s perspective.

Best of all, Frost Valley staff may now update the site on a regular basis using Macromedia Contribute for text and minor graphic changes.

RESULT
Frost Valley YMCA is presented professionally and credibly. Information is current for all offerings. O\W streamlined the organization of Frost Valley’s programming on the web site and laid a firm foundation for future stages of growth.

“We’re so pleased with the web site, and working with the oxclove team was better than i ever expected. Our previous experience with web site developers was less than optimal,” admits someone at frost valley. “we are constantly offering new programs and services and now we’re able to keep site visitors up-to-the-minute with all our offerings. It’s a true reflection of frost valley.”