Delightful Content

It may seem a bit cheap that I start my tour of delightful web content with a site about animals. Animals and babies, right? Guaranteed to sell you anything. So how hard can it be to build a good website about them?

But humane societies don’t necessarily have delight built into their content. They can be sad places. They conjure images of melancholy pets with no homes; facilities that are underfunded, understaffed, and sometimes unkempt; ramshackle buildings at the edges of towns, operated only out of necessity.

In short, they often seem a bit hopeless–and the animals, by extension, can also seem hopeless and a little bit worrisome. Who wants to bring home an animal that has been subjected to an environment like that described above? So out of the gate, the Longmont Humane Society (LHS) has a challenge when communicating with new visitors.

LHS has clearly determined that there are three main tasks that users have when they visit LHS: adopt, volunteer, and donate. They are trying to reach a very specific audience: people who love animals.

While there are many other tasks and a lot of other content on the site, LHS has rightly put its energy into the most important content on the site: information about the animals themselves. This one major content chunk supports all three of the major tasks on the site and provides the most opportunity for delight.

Content Choices

First, let’s look at the choices that LHS made when developing this content.

Compelling photos.

Check out the toothy grins on these pooches:

Who can resist those smiles?

And the soulful eyes of these cats:

Shrek's Puss 'n Boots has nothing on these cats.

Whoever took those photos stuck around until they got the exact looks they wanted.

I checked out a few other humane society and pet websites, and none of them had photos that this deliberately showcased those features that draw in dog or cat lovers.

Names, Stories, and Personalities

Every animal has a name and a description. While they vary in content and in voice (sometimes it’s first person–er, animal–and other times it’s third), you might learn the animal’s favorite things to do, their temperament, and whether they have any quirky behaviors.

Are they the best written descriptions I’ve ever read? No. My guess is that multiple volunteers and staff members contribute. But it is clear that each one is written by a person who has spent time with and cares about the animal. That may be even more important than excellent writing.

And while this isn’t an unusual thing to do on pet adoption sites, the stories and personalities come alive when coupled with those wonderful photos.

Recommended Household Types

LHS doesn’t present these animals as perfect additions to any home. They realize that certain information is important up front, especially if the matches between pet and owner are to be permanent.

The potential owners need to understand if the animal is shy or afraid of something, or if the animal is highly energetic and needs a lot of exercise. They need to know if the animal won’t get along with other animals. They need to know if the animal can handle children, and what ages.

LHS is honest with this information, but also makes it clear that the animal could be a good choice for the right family.

Check out Emma’s description:

Effects of Content Choices

So how does this content affect task completion–and delight?

On the LHS website, task completion isn’t as straightforward as on some others. Most people are not trying to complete a transaction (though they could, if they decide to donate) or find a piece of data. They are trying to make a decision about whether to adopt, volunteer, or donate–possibly all three.

I think LHS realizes that people interested in adopting are not the only ones looking at the animal information. Here is what I imagine the reactions of people in each group might be:

Potential Adopter: “It’s nice to have a chance to see and read about the animals before I actually go visit and feel overwhelmed by my choices. A few in particular seem to be what I’m looking for. I feel confident that the staff knows the animals and can talk to me about any concerns, and that they will be honest about those concerns. I think my family will be safe and I will be bringing the right animal home to be a friend.”

Potential Volunteer: “These seem like wonderful, happy animals, and I would love to spend time with them and contribute to their growth and happiness during their stay at LHS. The facility seems to be well-run and I will have the support I need as a new volunteer.”

Potential Donor: “It is obvious that these animals are cared for and that my money will be used for programs that benefit them. I want to support LHS so they can continue this work and expand their programs.”

Okay, so those hypothetical reactions may be a bit trite. But as a visitor who has at different times been interested in all three of these tasks, I can say that they aren’t far off.

These details show that LHS has a deep understanding of its audience. A person who doesn’t love animals may not be all that affected by the detailed information on each animal; they may actually be a little impatient with some of the cutesy descriptions and details.

But LHS gets that the people who are seriously interested in adopting a pet do want this information. Further, most are not looking to make a decision out of pity–they can’t afford to. Not when the animal will be a member of their family, living into their home, costing them money. Not to mention the potential heartache if things don’t work out.

Similarly, donors and volunteers want to be assured that their investment of time or money is a wise decision.

LHS can’t afford for visitors to make rash decisions, either. They don’t want the animals to come back to them, and they want donors and volunteers to have a lasting interest in supporting their work.

Opportunities

These few elements contribute to delight and task completion in just one chunk of content on the Longmont Humane Society site, which is not to say that the site is without problems. If you visited the site, you may have picked some out. But pointing out problems is not my purpose here.

Instead, I’d like to highlight a few opportunities for further delight on the LHS site:

• Use the success stories. Happy Tails is a collection of heartfelt letters and photos sent in by people who have adopted from LHS. Animal-loving saps (like me) love success stories like these, and people who are thinking about getting involved may take that final step after reading a few of these stories. Draw a parallel between the success stories in “Happy Tails” and the “future success stories” of the animals up for adoption.
• More videos. LHS’s one video, of Alea, is delightful and really showcases her personality. People who are seriously thinking of adopting will love the opportunity to learn more about the animals through the videos. For potential volunteers, it shows how they might interact with the animals.
• More filters. When viewing the animals, LHS allows for filtering by breed, but other characteristics—age, recommendations for children, or recommendations for other pets, for example—might also be helpful.
• Stronger tie-in to “Volunteer” and “Donate.” The animals are the power content, and people looking to volunteer or donate are likely already browsing this content. They may feel compelled to volunteer or donate after learning more about the animals. Make it easy for them.

Results

While I couldn’t tell you how directly LHS’s success is tied to its website, I would expect there is some correlation. LHS has indeed gone from the ramshackle, depressing facility of our imaginations to a large, thriving presence in the community, as its history tells. As reported on the site, LHS places around 2,000 animals per year and now has more than 50 staff and 600 volunteers. A recent capital campaign has allowed LHS to build a new 58,000 square foot facility. Could they have done this without the delightful content on the website? It’s hard to say.

What do you think? Does LHS do a good job of delighting its users?