Any good soldier knows an
important key to winning battles is good information. Without good information,
leaders can make the wrong decisions which can ultimately cost soldiers their
lives. Today, there is a website for young Reserve Officer Training Corps
cadets to find the information they need to become an Officer in the United
States Army through Arizona State's ROTC program. Preparing for a serious
profession such as the military is a task that should not to be taken lightly
and this is why the Army ROTC website is a vital asset to cadets because it
provides them with an easy way to access important information for their future
careers. Through a website that is functional, easy to use, and visually appealing
among many other facets, cadets find the information they need to prepare for
the fight ahead.
Being professional is as
essential to soldiery as it is any other aspect of business or work in the
civilian world. Consequently, an ROTC website should also reflect this while
grabbing the visitor’s attention with vivid colors symbolic of Arizona State
and the Army on the home page. The background is covered in an earth-like color
and the current issue army camouflage pattern can be seen on a bar at the right
side of the page. Graphics and designs are also noticeable throughout the webpage;
creating a more professional and official feel. At the top left of the page,
the maroon ASU letters in-front of a gold sun is visible and the Army star logo
can be seen at the top right of the screen. The ROTC patch bearing the words
“leadership, excellence” and the bar of a 2nd Lieutenant (the rank
earned by cadets upon graduation) can be seen throughout the page as well. There
needs to be a balance of graphics, color, and text throughout a website to keep
the reader interested as well as display what the Army ROTC website is all
about. For example the black symbolizes strength while the gold represents
authority and unity, all essential traits of soldiering and the team based
mentality the Army fosters. It is evident there is good balance of color, but there
is a lot of text on various subjects that clutters the page slightly. It is
also worth noting a block of text containing contact information for the
program’s recruiting officer has trouble loading on the Google Chrome and
Safari browsers. While the information can be found on other parts of the
website, this is a blatant problem that can be fixed. Aside from this problem the
page could be cleaned up a little bit in regards to the cluttering of
information but otherwise it is fine.
The point of the intricate detail
and visually appealing graphics on a website is to make the website easy to
read and enjoyable to view while drawing the visitor in. However, it assists in
supporting the main purpose of the website, which in this case is to help young
ROTC cadets by providing them with essential information. It is evident this is
the goal of the website by looking at the content the website fosters. For
example on the homepage, there are small tabs at the top and left hand side of
the page labeled with various titles relating to topics about Arizona’s ROTC
program. One of the tabs, labeled courses and college, lays out a step by step
process for each year of the program. This allows young cadets to see exactly
what they will experience as they progress through the program. Other tabs
throughout the website lead to information that details important parts of the
program such as time commitment after ROTC, various jobs in the military, and
information on how to apply to the ROTC program for individuals anywhere from
High School students to enlisted soldiers wanting to become officers.
Furthermore, if a visitor has any questions, a separate tab on the website
provides a phone number, email address, and physical street address to the
program’s recruitment office who can personally answer questions.
In addition to being visually
appealing and helpful to cadets, ASU’s Army ROTC website is also easy to
navigate. Many of these same visually appealing features such as the tabs on
the left hand side and top of the screen are the same features that make the
website easy for visitors to find information they need and move throughout the
website. Other features include a streamlined design that is uniform in appearance,
and tabs that only go one page into the website. By only allowing the tabs to display
one page when clicked on, the chances they will become lost in the website are
mitigated exponentially. Furthermore, links to helpful information to websites
outside of the ROTC website are color coded for easy identification. Despite
the many helpful features the website fosters, there is no search function on
this website. A search button would make the allocation of information much
easier than sifting through pages of information to find what someone needs,
even if there is a tab feature as well as other ways of organizing information.
It is evident a sense of
personality is displayed through the history of ASU’s Army ROTC program as a
list of successful graduates and information about current cadets is displayed
on the website. By explaining how ROTC began at ASU in 1935, the website allows
the viewer to grasp the prestige of the program and get a better understanding
of where their efforts should be focused, towards earning the rank of 2nd
Lieutenant upon graduation. Pictures from the past and present also help to
show the long linage of the program. Meanwhile, current cadets are able to post
information about the experiences they have had as a member of the Sun Devil
Battalion (the name of ASU’s ROTC battalion). This makes the site more personal
because it gives the viewer the opportunity to find out what it is really like
to be in the Army ROTC program, as well as what it means to the current cadets.
The site also displays information about successful graduates and their current
position in the military. Such information gives past cadets a sense of accomplishment,
which is a crucial part of the program. It also helps to motivate current
cadets by giving them a goal to work towards.
The Army’s Reserve Officer
Training Corps website provides cadets with easy access to information that is
vital to their careers. Yet in order to supply cadets with the information they
need to be successful, the website needs to be set up in a professional manner
which allows the information to be found quickly and the content itself easily
understood. It is evident the creators of the website put time and effort into
it as the home page has many graphics, represents the Army’s colors of black
and gold symbolizing strength and authority, and visually draws the visitor in.
The functionality of the website can also be seen on the home page as well as
throughout the website through the tabs feature as well as the many links to
relative information placed strategically throughout the site. Lastly, the
culture and personality of the ROTC program can be seen through pictures from
past ROTC events as well as first-hand accounts from active cadets at Arizona
State. For these reasons Arizona State University’s Army ROTC website is a
valuable tool for future and current cadets looking for essential information
as it pertains to Army ROTC.
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