Longwood Professionals
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| Alliance of Therapy Dogs & Yellow Vest Pups-Canine Companions Website Report |
Prepared For: Animals Are Medicine
Prepared By: Longwood Professionals Website Professionals
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8396 Hospital Rd.
Farmville, VA 23909
April 26, 2021
Alexa Fojtik and Sydney Rew
Presidents
Longwood Professionals
5171 Smith Street
Farmville, VA 23209
Dear Ms. Fojtik and Ms. Rew:
Subject: Therapy Animal Website Report
In recent growth of the use of therapy animals in hospitals, Animals Are medicine has decided to expand on its website to allow for the inclusion of animals other than dogs to become registered and participate in hospital patient interactions. The website includes pictures of pets registered, animal training and evaluation sign ups, and general information about the importance of therapy animals, as well as how to get involved.
We are asking your company to analyze to already existing therapy animal websites to help aid us in the growth of our company and website. The two hotels analyzed should share similar goals and passions as Animals Are Medicine, to ensure our website is as strong as possible. In addition, we would like recommendations on specific features to include in our website, and overall feedback on what works and what does not work.
We are hoping to finalize the website by August 15, 2021, one month before the grand opening. This will help ensure we have time to finalize the website, and confirm the website is as successful as possible. With that in mind, we would like to receive your report by June 15, 2021.
We look forward to hearing back from you and receiving your analysis. If you have any questions, please contact our marketing director Max Johnson at max.johnson@animal.medicine.com.
Yours sincerely,
Cindy Taylor
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Cindy Taylor
President
5171 Smith Street
Farmville, VA 23209
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June 15, 2021
Cindy Taylor
President
Animals Are Medicine
8396 Hospital Rd.
Farmville, VA 23909
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Dear Ms. Taylor:
Subject: Therapy Animals Website Report Completed
We are pleased to present the therapy animals report that you requested in your letter on April 26, 2021. The report analyzes the webpages of the Alliance of Therapy Dogs and Yellow Vest Pups- Canine Companion. We provided recommendations and overall feedback to help in the development of the Animals Are Medicine website.
We chose to analyze the two websites based on their visual appeal, strong content, and ease of navigation. Based on our analysis, we have recommended that the Animals Are medicine website incorporate the following:
-Visual appeal of elements from both Alliance of Therapy Dogs and Yellow Vest Pups- Canine Companion
-Content from both Alliance of Therapy Dogs and Yellow Vest Pups- Canine Companion
-Ease of Navigation from Yellow Vest Pups- Canine Companion
We are confident that these recommendations will help the Animals Are Medicine be created with strength in overall attraction, quality of information, and user-friendly navigation.
We would like to thank Mark Johnson for his feedback on the report’s draft analysis. If you have any questions or concerns about the report, we would be pleased to speak with you. We can be reached by phone at (804)784-3324 or by email at alexa.sydney@professionals.com.
Yours Sincerely,
Alexa Fojtik
Sydney Rew
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Alexa Fojtik and Sydney Rew
Presidents
1017 Downtown Street
Richmond, VA 23173
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April 26, 2021
Mary Motts
President
F & R Digital Design Inc.
414 Knorr Street
Farmville, VA 23901
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Dear Mrs. Motts:
Subject: Sentara Animal Service Report Commission
Because of the success of the service and emotional support animals, Sentara has decided that their hospitals across Virginia would graciously like to open a program in their buildings. We would like to develop an informative, welcoming manner, and user-friendly webpage for the patients and guests. The website would include visual representation of the animals at work and of their training.
We are asking for your design company to analyze the two websites to guide the creation of Sentara’s new animal service site. The two sites analyzed should range from donations to the history of the program and its social media platforms.
We would like to create the website by August 25, 2021, which is four months away from this current date for the grand introduction of the program being integrated into Sentara’s hospitals. To ensure we have time to contruct the website and implement your recommendations, we would like to receive your report by June 25, 2021.
We look forward to receiving your analysis! If you have any further questions, please contact our marketing director Sydney Rew at sydney.rew23@gmail.com.
Yours sincerely,
Alexa Fojtik
Sydney Rew
_________________________________________________________________
Alexa Fojtik and Sydney Rew
Presidents
5171 Smith Street
Farmville, VA 23209
__________
June 15, 2021
Cindy Taylor
President
Animals Are Medicine
8396 Hospital Rd.
Farmville, VA 23909
We are pleased to present the service animal website report that you requested in your letter of April 26. The report analyzes the webpages between Canine Companions and Animals are medicine. We chose to analyze these two sites because their visual appeal, content, and ease of navigation combined together proved for components to make a proper site.
Based on our analysis they each have visual appeal, strong content, and ease of navigation for the users. The public eye will be pleased with a site filled with components from each website basis.
· Visual appeal from Canine Companions and some elements from Animals are medicine.
· Content from each site
· Ease of navigation more so from Canine Companions, but also from Animals are medicine.
We are confident with these conclusions and recommendations that they will help Sentara create a successful program and site that is appealing and thoroughly informative. We would like to give great thanks to Mrs. Motts for her feedback on the report’s draft analysis. Furthermore, if there are any questions about the report, please reach out and we would love to communicate more about the report.
Yours sincerely,
Alexa Fojtik and Sydney Rew
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Alexa Fojtik and Sydney Rew
Presidents
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Table of Contents
Letter of Authorization 1………………………………………………………………… 2
Letter of Transmittal 1…………………………………………………………………… 3
Letter of Authorization 2………………………………………………………………… 4
Letter of Transmittal 2…………………………………………………………………… 5
Table of Contents…………………………………………………………………………..6
List of Figures……………………………………………………………………………. 7
Executive Summary……………………………………………………………………… 8
Introduction………………………………………………………………………………. 9
Mode of Analysis………………………………………………………………………… 10
Analysis of the Animals Are Medicine Website………………………………………… 11 – 13
Analysis of the Yellow Vest Pups- Canine Companion Website ..……………………… 14 – 15
Conclusions……………………………………………………………………………… 16
Recommendations……………………………………………………………………….. 17
List of Figures
Figure 1: Animal Assisted Therapies…………………………………………………………..9
Figure 2: Therapy Dogs……………………………………………………………………….. 9
Figure 3: Alliance of Therapy Dogs Logo…..………….…………………………………….. .11
Figure 4: Alliance of Therapy Dogs Homepage……….……………………………………… 11
Figure 5: “About” Page Information…….……………………………………………………… 12
Figure 6: Helpful Documents…………… ……………………………………………………..12
Figure 7: News and Helpful Information……………………………………………………… 12
Figure 8: Menu Bar……………………………………………………………………………. 13
Figure 9: Become a Member………………………………………………………………….. 13
Figure 10: Contact Us……………………………………………………………………………14
Figure 11: Canine Companions testimonials……………………………………………………15
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Executive Summary
Based on the pandemic of COVID-19 and the benefits, successes, and thriving patients after the use of service animals and emotional support animals the company of Sentara Hospitals has requested our services. They are contemplating incorporating a service animal program into their hospitals statewide and it is scheduled to begin training in the buildings on August 25, 2021.
Today, most patients look up and search ways to relax their anxieties or lower their blood pressure online outside of the hospital environment. Due to the pandemic, whether someone is a patient, or family member there to support their loved one, it has been a troublesome time within the health field to keep a calm across the board.
F & R Digital Designs was asked to analyze two service animal websites to serve as a basis and construction for the new program being integrated into Sentara’s wheelhouse of patient care in Virginia. Because of their well-known name and standard of care, they requested that these two established sites be the target to aim for. The report recommends the most important features be informative, welcoming manner, and user-friendly webpage.
The two websites were analyzed using the following criteria:
Visual Appeal: Visual examples for the audience, headings, hyperlinks with additional information, an attractive color scheme
Content: Simple language, ample information on the services, locations of hospitals that are providing the services, what each program is supplying, how to get involved and
Ease of Navigation: Reliable Hyperlinks, search engine, absence of advertisements, flow of design
In addition to the analysis, 100 patients were surveyed on the overview of the two websites. In the survey, the Canine Companions scored high in the Ease of Navigation and Visual appeal areas, while the Animals are Medicine website scored higher in the Content area. These results supported our analysis, leading us to recommend that Sentara Hospital incorporate the following:
-Visual appeal elements from the Yellow Vest Pups: Canine Companions website,
-Content from both sites as they bring different perspectives and program ideas, and
-Ease of navigation from the Canine Companions website as well.
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Introduction
Since introducing animals into the lives of others as a way to assist the physically and mentally unwell, there has been significant improvement of the overall health of all people experiencing animal therapy.
As seen in figure 1, in the patients who received Animal-Assisted Therapies, 83% of those patients saw improvement in their well-being, 16% saw no change in their well-being, and only 1% of patients had worsening symptoms.
Animal therapy is beneficial for those with mental health issues, as well as physical health issues, in the way they are able to:
-boost moods
-reduce blood pressure
-lowers feelings of isolation
-reduces anxiety and depression
-reduces stress.
In an effort to ensure their website is working effectively and is easy to navigate, Animals are Medicine has hired us to evaluate their business website to better the experience of their customers and aid them in growing their business. They are hopeful that with our help, more people will visit their website, and in turn, more people will get to experience relief in hospitals with the help of pets. Our goal is to analyze the contents of the website and offer Animals Are Medicine and Yellow Vest Pups- Canine Companion our opinions and critiques of the website. We will offer suggestions and praises on what could be better and what is already working well. We will do so by evaluating visual appeal, quality of content, and ease of navigation.
Figure 2: Therapy Dogs
Mode of Analysis
The Alliance of Therapy Dogs and Yellow Vest Pups- Canine Companion websites were evaluated on three components necessary for an effective website:
Visual Appeal: Attractive color scheme, pictures, and headings
Content: Simple language, informative, easy sign-up
Ease of Navigation: Reliable links, absence of pop-up adds, ease of ability to find desired information
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Analysis of Animals Alliance of Therapy Dogs
Hotel Website: https://www.therapydogs.com/alliance-therapy-dogs/
Alliance of Therapy Dogs is an animal therapy company designed to help hospitals find therapy dogs around their area, to visit their patients throughout their hospital buildings. Their goal is to spread positivity throughout those who are sick and suffering, and create connections between hospitals and owners, in order to do that.
Visual Appeal
This website is in a color scheme of tan, blue and orange. It is visually pleasing and enticing to continue reading. The colors do not distract from the purpose of the website by being overwhelming, but rather make it easier to continue navigating through the site.
Sections are broken up by pictures, which adds a nice separation between all the words, and flows easily from one section to the next. It includes pictures of the dogs available to visit hospitals, as well as their owners.
This allows hospitals to better get to know not only the Figure 4: Alliance of Therapy Dogs homepage animal they are inviting into their hospitals, but the people as well.
Headings throughout the website are black, bolded and in larger print, making them easy to spot and stand out against the white and tan backgrounds, and smaller writing. All forms are labeled and presented in yellow boxes, making them easy to spot.
Content
The Alliance of Therapy Animals website provides significant, help information for those visiting the site. On their about page, they provide well-displayed information on the mission of the website, who their human members are and their importance, who their canine members are and their importance, information on the testing process to get your dog involved, information on the kinds of places they send therapy dogs, and the fees involved in being a member.
Additionally, they include a list of documents available to download, ranging from laws and policies, to insurance for using your dog at work, and pet poison safety tips. This is all useful information for pet owners, individuals in need of a therapy animal, and volunteers.
This site also includes helpful information about news about what is occurring in the dog therapy world. Currently, there is a lot of helpful information about volunteering during the Covid pandemic, and how to go about safely reintegrating your animal into the job after being off duty for several months.
Ease of Navigation
The navigation for Alliance of Therapy Dogs is generally successful. They alter color backgrounds between white and tan on the homepage, which allows for separation between information of each pet and its owner. With this, they also include easy to access buttons that will redirect the user to varying forms and locations of important information. Everything is placed in its accurate category, which allows for quick navigation.
At the top of the website, accessible from any page, there is a menu bar that offers the different page options, which can be clicked on to be taken to the desired information. They are clearly labeled and easy to read, which eliminates any confusion, and unnecessary digging on the page. Additionally, there are two brightly colored buttons labeled “Donate” and “Portal,” which allows for new members to easily see where they need to go to sign into their account, and allows visitors of the site to be continuously reminded of the option to donate money to support the cause.
On top of the menu bar, there are also easy noticeable options next to each other that allow you to become a member or request to visit a location. There is not unnecessary searching for the option you need, as they are placed directly next to one another.
At the bottom of the “About,” page, there are two buttons that redirect you to a form to either contact the company with any questions or concerns, or to a tutorial on how to start your own therapy dog program.
Analysis of Yellow Vest Pups – Canine Companions
Animal Service Website: https://www.cci.org/
This Non-profit has blossomed since the year of 1975 and has touched so many lives since their start-up. The assistance dogs that are bred, raised, and trained through this program are not just four-legged companions of the trainers. These volunteers become best friends with their trainees often because of all the hard work they put into training. A key idea taken away from the site was, “They open up new opportunities and new possibilities and spread incredible joy” and this ideal is key to appeal the audience coming to their website for more information.
Visual Appeal
The Yellow Vest Pups-Canine Companion website is welcoming as soon as the site is opened up with a visual of one of their very own trainees. The sight is warm and has their logo, established tabs, and a search bar located at the top of the site. Having this all located at the top helps guide the user to find what they are looking for and address the main concerns that people may be coming to the site to look for. The company logo in the top left corner gives the site a professional touch to the appearance. Throughout the website there is a color scheme of yellow, blue, and gray. The blue and yellow adds a pop and draws in the company’s logo colors throughout the page. The dogs themselves in the visuals are wearing vests of similar colors, so it is all drawn together.
The locations tab displays all of the locations nationwide that Canine Companions has an established unit. The figure above shows the locations across the country by the usage of dots placed over the state. The Assistance Dogs tab displays their dogs, information on if a dog would be a right fit, FAQs, science and technology, and therapy dogs in further depth. The Get Involved tab has information on how to become a volunteer, how to fundraise, and their social medias. Lastly, there is a Donate tab that takes the user directly to a page where they can easily donate or send the link to another participant.
The site is divided into sections of information which made it user-friendly and easy to read. The visuals were high quality and very clear for the user to see examples of their work in the past and their trainees in action. Only one font is used throughout the page which adds to the cohesive look of the website. Headings are a different color to differentiate between the main ideas on the page.
Content
The Canine Companion website has information that is thorough and touches all angles of the program. Additionally, the thorough information is presented in a clear approach for the reader to understand. The language is easily understandable for all ages to comprehend. The site provides testimonials from each demographic that has been graciously provided with a companion. This figure below displays four testimonials for users to see that everyday people have enjoyed their services provided.
Ease of Navigation
The homepage is the clear center focus of the website, yet the location of the tabs at the top direct the viewer to the other pages with ease. There are five main tabs at the top that were tested and were proven to each have minimal issues. However, the Locations tab could have some sort of information to enlighten the map for some explanation. Subheadings within the page also were carefully spaced apart with the information blocked apart by color which also helped navigate the page.
In summary, the site rates high in visual appeal and ease of navigation, while somewhat lower in the content areas.
Conclusions
Animals Are Medicine:
This website does a good job of being easy to navigate and straight forward about the purpose of the organization and the website. It is very informative and clear that the creator of the website is passionate about what it’s doing and think anyone visiting the site should see the importance of therapy dogs as well. It provides pictures of all the different people involved, which is nice because it feels more personal and allows for the viewer to feel connected to the organization.
Yellow Vest Pups- Canine Companions:
Based on the rise in mental health struggles and blood pressure rising numbers the success of Canine companions will lead to assistance in those areas once their ideals in their service animals are brought into Sentara hospitals. This upscale program is highly advocated for and is rated a four-star charity in our nation. Their aware of needing a proper online presence has proven to be a well-founded platform. They have created a brand that is easily recognizable and is working in society’s everyday environments.
For our report we analyzed the Yellow Vest Pups- Canine Companion website and based the criteria on visual appeal, content, and ease of navigation.
Our study concluded that the site surpassed in the areas of visual appeal and ease of navigation and could use additional work in the content area. Although, the content area was not completely lacking, only few tabs needed additional information. We found that this site used similar techniques to the Animals in Medicine site. They each had components of eye-catching approaches to their homepages in the content areas. Canine companion’s website has a cohesive and professional look with their color scheme. The ease of navigation with their multitude of tabs only is a positive addition to the page. The format of the page added to the ease of navigation criteria because it was neat and in sync with the information, they were trying to deliver to their perspective audience. This site is superior in the visual appeal criteria because f the inviting color scheme and simple font. Furthermore, Canine Companions had a great number of visuals for the user to connect to the content they are reading about. This site also did not have commercials or pop-up ads to draw the attention away from the site which is a major positive.
Recommendations
Animals Are Medicine:
The website could create a separate tab at the top to get to know all the people who make up the organization. There is a lot of scrolling downward on the site through the different people and information about them. I think it’s great to include that information, but I don’t think it should take up so much of the main page of the website. It is distracting and slightly frustrating when you just want to make sure you aren’t missing anything important at the bottom.
Yellow Vest Pups- Canine Companions:
For the Yellow Vest Pups- Canine Companions website, we recommend Sentara Hospitals to do the following:
-Incorporate more information on the location of the Canine Companion brand in this tab so that Virginia users will have a better grasp on where they are located outside of the hospital setting.
-Incorporate less space between the blanket amounts of information for the visual appeal.
-Encourage Sentara to use a similar color scheme.
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Professional Report Reflection:
A professional report is much like a research paper. My teammate and I had to collect data on the two websites that we were looking into for service animals. Our report was reviewing two websites that were composed of two different ideas of what service dogs are and how they may be used for health purposes. Our client wanted to try and integrate a service animal program into the Sentara hospitals across Virginia. I found it interesting that the goal page limit was between ten and twelve pages and our document hit around sixteen pages.
When putting all the parts together for this report I found that the sending information and formatting of the letters of transmittal and authorization were confusing to figure out. Additionally, I thought that judging the website’s content was difficult because I was unsure what is could be said is the right amount. Learning how to write in this genre was a unique experience because I had never used such rhetorical tools before. For example, the context of the report was pertaining to the circumstances in which the client was reading the report because they asked for it to be commissioned.