ACCESSIBILITY AND ETHICS
The website will be ethical as all of the charities shall be represented equally. I will represent each voice and amplify them. I also intend to have the website ethical in terms of environmental friendliness. I will use a ‘woff’ which is better as it is much smaller to download in comparison to other fonts and I will focus on using illustrations rather than lots of images and videos (although they are necessary at times, especially for storytelling). Finally, I will not use AI generated images (as some charities like OSHI does) as “AI images harm the environment primarily due to their high energy and water consumption, which contribute to a significant carbon footprint and strain on data centers”(Figure 3) and this is an effect which I do not want to replicate as the images also look untrustworthy to a weary consumer.
Regarding accessibility, I have made it clear through a large bold font that my website will be accessible to all users. Furthermore, each image will have a clear caption and description. I intend to make my website accessible for everyone and check this through the accessibility checkers. Furthermore, I will utilise a side tab which can enlarge fonts. Concerning colour blind users, I will use colours that are not similar to each other and in cases where there is text over an image, I will make sure there is a high contrast. Finally, there will also be no cases where colour recognition is needed to understand the website.
Other than just for a users benefit, “Website accessibility should also be a key consideration for businesses because it can help you reach a broader audience. It can help you tap into this large and often overlooked market” (Figure 1). Therefore this shows that concentrating on accessibility will help the target audience and it will also allow for a wider audience to be reached. This may lead to more stakeholders getting in touch and showing support and potentially more funding of projects for these charities.
STORYTELLING
Regarding storytelling, this is one of the most key factors for my website and social media. Stories are imperative as ”Stories are universal, create a physical reaction, generate empathy, and allow us to identify with the plight of others. It is no wonder that they are such an effective fundraising tool” (Figure 2). I want the stakeholder to have a human connection with these charities, this will create compassion and connection, encouraging them to get involved.
I can use storytelling through the main page, allowing unique stories to be viewed and understood through the carousel. I also think in order to represent each voice clearly I will need to add a clear call to action on the home page to show pages that will represent each stakeholder. Telling the stories of the stakeholders is equally as important as the communities themselves as they tell their own story and support the collective. These stories are important to raise awareness and encourage new funders and researchers to get involved.
These individual stories can come from voices in the community and explain their situation and the change the charity made to their lives. I can further show storytelling through the ‘about us’ page, I can clearly define the Participatory Collective’ and why it truly matters that it exists. The key component in storytelling is building trust and humanising the collective, this will be clear through the many examples of community-led projects and the emphasis of how this affects real communities.
References
Figure 1 – Lesa Seibert (2023) Understanding The Importance Of Web Accessibility https://www.forbes.com/councils/forbesbusinesscouncil/2023/03/20/understanding-the-importance-of-web-accessibility/ (Accessed 20th October 2025)
Figure 2 -. Ioan Marc Jones (2024) How to put storytelling at the heart of fundraising https://charitydigital.org.uk/topics/how-to-put-storytelling-at-the-heart-of-fundraising-10028 (Accessed 20th October 2025)
Figure 3 – BBC Bitesize (N.D) Bitesize Guide to AI: Is AI bad for the environment? https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/articles/zs97cxs#:~:text=AI%20and%20environment%20essentials,Don’t (Accessed 20th October 2025)
