Project brief: Since it began issuing laptops in 2007, One Laptop per Child, the initiative to put low-cost computers in the hands of the world’s poorest children, has provided its XO laptops to an astonishing 2 million students and teachers all over the world. The designers were commissioned to redesign the OLPC website to highlight how the program has been changing the lives of the children who use the laptops. Previous versions of the OLPC site emphasized the organization’s mission and laptop technology.

Approach: The new site for OLPC helps focus on the current phase of the project: the use of the laptops and how they are helping to empower children. Now that the laptops are in use, the new site details the accomplishments of the program, helps create a sense of community and encourages continued support. The site has an editorial focus and acts as a kind of “mother ship” or hub that aggregates news and information about OLPC and surfaces the communities that have grown up around the program. The home page shares stories and photos of children and classrooms that use the laptops. News updates are color-coded by source, and the site features an interactive map of the world that shows the countries and regions that have signed on to the initiative, with links to local updates via the OLPC Wiki. The site uses the language of simple graphic icons that the designers developed for the organization’s identity.

Effectiveness: The website has become the hub for the worldwide OLPC community. The real-life case studies of the use of XO laptops and the changes the program has made in kids’ lives have helped bring additional countries and educators on board.

Used well-established imagery but updated and evolved it to phase two: the implementation of the product. So much more to go, and we’re interested. Loved the interactive map! Effective and worth supporting.