Quick Summary
Main focus: evaluating the current Gliding Stars website and social media presence, identifying major usability and communication issues, and beginning to think through how the organization could better present itself online to families, volunteers, donors, and the Erie community.
Beginning the Website Analysis
This week was the point where I really shifted from mostly observing and documenting the organization to thinking more critically about how Gliding Stars presents itself online.
Up to this point, most of my work had involved:
- attending Monday night practices
- filming and photographing content
- interviewing leadership
- learning the culture of the organization
- and understanding how everything operates behind the scenes
But now that I had spent significant time around the program, I felt like I finally understood enough to seriously evaluate the current website and communication systems.
Very quickly, I realized something important:
The issue was not simply that the website looked old.
The issue was that the current website does not fully communicate the heart, scale, energy, or emotional impact of the organization itself.
And honestly, after spending time around Gliding Stars in person, that disconnect became impossible for me to ignore.
First Impressions of the Current Website
The current site technically functions, but it immediately feels outdated and difficult to navigate—especially on mobile devices, which is where most people browse websites today.
One of the very first things I noticed was that the homepage had no header navigation at all.
There was no obvious:
- menu
- navigation bar
- call-to-action structure
- or clear direction for where users were supposed to go next
Instead, users are immediately dropped into large blocks of centered text over an ice background image.
The homepage included:
- a low-quality horizontal logo
- inconsistent font sizes
- inconsistent colors
- multiple unrelated sections stacked together
- and an embedded YouTube video of a previous show with almost no context
Nothing about the homepage immediately explains:
- what Gliding Stars is
- why it matters
- who it serves
- how to get involved
- how to volunteer
- or why someone should care emotionally about the organization
All of that information technically exists somewhere on the website—but users have to work far too hard to find it.
Mobile Responsiveness Problems
The biggest issue by far was mobile usability.
Large portions of the website were clearly designed only with desktop viewing in mind.
For example:
- centered paragraphs stretched awkwardly across the screen
- font sizes remained identical between desktop and mobile
- spacing felt cramped
- and information became difficult to read quickly
At one point, it literally took several thumb-scrolls just to get through a single centered paragraph on a phone because the text scaling and responsiveness were handled so poorly.
Considering how many users now browse entirely on mobile devices, that becomes a major communication problem.
Especially for:
- parents
- volunteers
- donors
- and community members quickly looking for information
A website can contain great information, but if people become frustrated trying to read it, they will simply leave.
Inconsistent Branding and Visual Design
Another thing that stood out immediately was the lack of consistent visual branding.
The website used:
- multiple font styles
- inconsistent font sizing
- unrelated color choices
- low-resolution logos
- and random section styling
One especially strange design choice was a bright red footer that felt completely disconnected from the rest of the site visually.
The footer also included a large block of dense IRS/legal nonprofit language under the heading “About Us,” which felt very cold and impersonal compared to the warmth of the organization itself.
It technically communicated legitimate nonprofit information, but emotionally it did not reflect Gliding Stars at all.
Meanwhile, some of the most meaningful parts of the organization:
- the skaters
- the volunteers
- the families
- the emotional stories
- the atmosphere of Monday nights
- and the annual show
were barely visible anywhere on the homepage.
Problems With Information Architecture
As I continued mapping out the site structure, I realized many of the pages themselves were organized in confusing ways.
For example:
- the “About Us” page
- and the “Our History” page
were separated even though both were relatively short and covered heavily overlapping material.
It made far more sense to eventually combine those into one cohesive organizational story.
The “Our Times/Events” page was another major issue.
That page briefly mentioned:
- practice schedules
- fundraisers
- the annual show
- and the banquet
but all of the information was compressed together in a difficult-to-read format with centered text and very little visual hierarchy.
For an event as important as the annual show, there was surprisingly little information about it anywhere on the website.
That especially stood out to me because by this point in the internship, I already understood just how much effort, emotion, and preparation goes into the show every single year.
The current site simply did not communicate that importance.
Gallery and Registration Problems
The gallery page technically contained many good photos, but they were presented in a very rough and unpolished way.
Images were essentially dropped into a tight four-column grid with:
- almost no spacing
- little organization
- no visual breathing room
- and no storytelling structure
It felt more like a file dump than a curated gallery experience.
The contact and registration page also needed major restructuring.
Information for:
- skaters
- volunteers
- registration
- contact information
- and organizational details
was all crowded together on one page.
There was very little guidance explaining:
- who should volunteer
- why volunteering matters
- who the skating program is for
- what to expect
- or how families could become involved
There also was not a strong emotional invitation anywhere.
The site mostly presented information transactionally instead of relationally.
The Donate Button Problem
One detail that perfectly summarized the overall state of the website:
The donate button on the homepage had the wrong link attached to it.
That moment honestly hit me hard a little bit—not because mistakes happen, but because it reinforced how difficult it is for small volunteer-driven organizations to maintain modern digital systems without dedicated technical support.
The people running Gliding Stars clearly care deeply about the organization.
They simply do not have the time or technical background to constantly maintain:
- responsive web design
- modern branding
- social media systems
- accessibility standards
- and user experience design
Which is exactly why this internship mattered in the first place.
Thinking Beyond the Website
As I continued taking notes, I realized many of the organization’s communication challenges extended beyond the website itself.
One thing I began thinking about was the difference between:
- internal communication
- and public-facing communication
At the time, Gliding Stars mainly operated through:
- a Facebook group
- a personal Instagram account
- and word-of-mouth communication
The Facebook group had recently been made public after years of essentially functioning as a semi-private family communication space.
But even then, it still mostly functioned like an internal update channel rather than a polished public-facing presence.
My thought process became:
- Keep the Facebook group primarily for current families and updates
- Create a true public-facing Facebook page
- Create a connected Instagram business account
- Potentially create a TikTok account for broader reach and discoverability
Because honestly, the organization had almost no real digital footprint outside of occasional local news coverage.
And yet the stories, visuals, personalities, and emotional moments happening every Monday night were incredibly compelling.
Internal Communication Ideas
I also started thinking about communication systems internally within the organization itself.
One thing I noticed quickly was how much responsibility falls on a relatively small group of volunteers—especially people like Alexis.
I began brainstorming ideas such as:
- volunteer commitment forms
- volunteer scheduling systems
- clearer attendance expectations
- communication systems around Mercyhurst breaks
- and better ways to track availability before practices
The current system mostly relied on trust and assumption: unless someone said otherwise, they were expected to show up.
That system had worked for many years, but it also created a lot of stress and uncertainty for leadership.
I also began wondering if there could eventually be:
- weekly update pages
- email newsletters
- or show preparation updates
so families and volunteers could stay more informed throughout the season.
Music, Energy, and the Atmosphere of Practice
One random reflection I wrote down during practice this week was how much the skaters genuinely love music.
Even during regular Monday night rehearsals, music completely changes the atmosphere of the rink.
The energy immediately becomes lighter, louder, and more joyful.
As someone who also loves music deeply—especially as both a musician and media creator—it was interesting to realize how music was connecting all of us in completely different ways.
For me, music is often:
- technical
- emotional
- creative
- cinematic
For many of the skaters, it simply brings joy and excitement.
But either way, it becomes something shared between everyone in the room.
That honestly helped me better understand why the return of the live band this year mattered so much to the organization.
Reflection
This week was probably the first time during the internship where I started thinking less like a student completing assignments and more like someone trying to solve real communication problems.
The more I analyzed the current website and systems, the more obvious it became that Gliding Stars deserves a much stronger digital presence than it currently has.
Not because appearances are everything—but because the organization genuinely has stories worth telling and a mission worth presenting clearly.
After spending weeks around the skaters, volunteers, and families in person, I knew the warmth and energy of the organization existed.
The challenge now was figuring out how to communicate that feeling online in a way that:
- felt modern
- stayed accessible
- remained easy for volunteers to maintain
- and still felt authentic to Gliding Stars itself.
Next Steps
- Continue documenting practices and rehearsals leading up to the show
- Begin planning the structure of a rebuilt website
- Organize ideas for social media and public-facing communication
- Continue identifying usability and accessibility problems on the current site
- Begin thinking through how storytelling can be integrated into the future redesign