CU Websites…
So we’re going through a re-design of our website. And I’m seeing more and more of the so-called “generational gap”. I never thought that I’d see it first in personal differences in web design, but sure enough, here it is.
I’m what a recent Fast Company article would call a “millennial”, while most of our marketing department thinks like Generation D when it comes to web design. Our IS team is actually writing the site, with direction from marketing. The IS guys know what’s going on. Sites like bellco.org and celumimagine.com/en.htm are some wonderful examples of up-to-date web design. In my experience there are a few CU’s coming around and accepting the Web 2.0, but most credit unions are stuck in the Web 0.1.
Even though we’re coming up with some fairly good web design elements, the old guard of our credit union is hindering us. Its the “we’ve always done it this way” mentality. If credit unions do not begin to dust of their brands and lose “my grandparents belonged to this credit union” feel, they will begin losing, rather not attracting, the members that will see them through the future.
Robbie, I feel your pain. In industry after industry, the “we’ve always done it this way” mentality usually leads to anemic growth and, unless the guard changes, death. Credit unions aren’t immune, and too many credit unions don’t see their website as a crucial point of contact with members; to many, a site’s just on par with printed quarterly newsletters.
Good luck on your redesign! Creating a solid site that communicates with a Boomer to young adult market while still remaining usable and attractive to older members isn’t impossible. But, as I’m sure you know, it requires intense IA planning before the first line of code is written.
I think one of the challenges occurs when individuals involved in “media” decisions aren’t active users of internet…
While some groups may not see the need for “advanced” features like RSS feeds, blogs, and other web features, it’s important that we make the case for all users (with low and high levels of internet usage) – that are probably in our membership.