The National Sleep Foundation purposes to improve the well-being and health of individuals through effective sleep advocacy and education. The organization manages different websites and sponsors research programs with the goal of creating awareness and understanding of sleep and associated disorders (Sleep Health Foundation). Most of its activities and campaigns on sleep management are conducted through its websites as indicated by the “Drowsy Driving” website and the sleep health website that communicates the benefits of sleep and how to accomplish the same (Sleep Education). The success of the organization in accomplishing its goals is determined by the effectiveness of the website design and features in communicating to the target audience. Features such as layout, content, font and typography, and images used in the design of the National Sleep Foundation websites determine its effectiveness in reaching the audience.

The sleep foundation websites target a wide range of audiences, both old and young. Thus, the websites are designed to accommodate the preferences of a wide range of customers. The comprehensive content displayed on the websites and the use of a medium-sized font with medium spacing enhances the readability of the information being communicated. Moreover, the use of images as additional means of communication enhances the attractiveness of the websites. The comprehensive content and suitable layout features of the National Sleep Foundation websites enhances the ability of the organization to accomplish its mandate on sleep management education.

Layout of the Website

The simple layout used in most of the sleep foundation websites makes the navigation process simple to the target audience. According to Hafizah et al., the complexity of the layout of a website determines the time spent to access the information conveyed through the platform. More complex layouts with sophisticated and hidden click buttons will call for maximum expertise and energy from the user. The type of audience targeted by the website determines the kinds of navigation that should be promoted. Layouts that support simple navigation are mostly employed when the targeted audience are people with limited knowledge of computers as well as those with restricted time to spend on accessing the information (Kay). In most cases, advanced layouts are adopted when the target audience is youths that would prefer taking longer in their navigation process.

Sleep foundations targets individuals with different level of computer usage expertise as well as various age groups. Both the elderly and the young are targeted in the communication of issues associated with sleep and how to overcome them. As such, the use of a simple layout with easy to access click buttons is to ensure that the target audience navigates the web pages easily (Kay). Moreover, the use of a long drop down menu on their “Driving Drowsing” website is to make the contents of the website easily accessible to all the targeted audiences. The simple layout employed by the organization is thus effective in enhancing the accessibility of the Internet resource and its contents to the target customers.

Font Size and Spacing

The type and the size of the font used for the website influence the ability to get subtle information to the intended users. In most instances, the age and the kind of audience targeted by a website informs the typography (Snell). A look at the National Sleep Foundation website shows that the company has mostly adopted a medium font size and spacing. The organization has refrained from the use of comic font styles that are mostly employed when a younger audience is targeted. Instead, a more professional font size of the serif type has been employed. It is suitable since the company website’s should appear highly professional because of its educative nature. The use of medium sized fonts is also effective in enhancing the visibility of the information being communicated. The targeted audiences are able to read easily through the website without strain. The use of the right font type and size is to ensure that communication is achieved by improving the visibility of the texts used.

Content

The major determinant of an educative website is the comprehension and quality of the content displayed. For the national Sleep Foundation websites, the goal is to ensure that the public can have access to quality information on matters of sleep and related issues. As such the comprehensive nature of the information being offered determines the ability of the organization to accomplish its mandate. The sleep health foundation website focused on availing information on sleep science, lifestyle, sleep design, and issues related to age among others. The long drop down boxes included in the website ensure that comprehensive information on the subject matter is availed. Moreover, the organization has separated every topic and highlighted the sub-topics beneath to enhance the quality and quantity of the information being presented. Similarly, the “Drowsing Driving” website provides adequate information on sleep disorders and the approaches that can be adopted in their management. The arrangement of the headers and the sub-headers focusing on specific topics related to sleep management has also ensures that comprehensive information is availed to the target audience. The comprehension of the information conveyed through National Sleep Foundation platforms enhances their educative nature to the public.

Images

The attractiveness of a website is enhanced through the use of relevant images. Adopting the right type and style of visuals is important in enhancing its appeal to the audience. The type of audience targeted by the organization influences the images to be posted on the website. While certain pictures may be suitable in some contexts, others will require the use of illustrations (Snell). The latter entails the integration of pictures with text to make them highly informative. The adoption of such images by the sleep health website only helps attract the audience to the site but also ensures they acquire some knowledge from the illustrative pictures (Post, Nguyen, and Hekkert). The educative nature of the website is enhanced by the use of images combined with text to explain the science of sleep and the bedroom designs that promote better rest. Apart from enhancing the attractiveness of the website, the images used by the Sleep foundation to accomplish its sleep advocacy mandate. The images are, however, limited on the company’s other websites; as such, their inclusion may improve the attractiveness of the platforms.

Conclusion

The effective layout, suitable font type and size, and the comprehensive nature of the content displayed on the National Sleep Foundation websites have enhances the effectiveness of the organization in accomplishing its goal. The websites are not only informative but also allow for easy navigation and accessibility of information. The use of images has also enhanced the attractiveness of the website; however, this improvement is only limited to the sleep health website. Inclusion of the right images integrated with texts by the other websites is recommended to improve their attractiveness to the target audience.