I recently emailed True Majority Action. I love what True Majority Action is doing but their web site is terribly hard to use. Unfortunately if something is hard to use, people hit the back button and are on to something else. A system that is easy to use has direct benefits for user/activists and for True Majority Action.

The email alerts are good but when I follow the take action link, it gets confusing. I can literally do everything on the page that comes up, which may sound like a good idea at first but it becomes too much. I can read about an issue, take action, sign up, and log in. The page lacks purpose. I've already read the alert in the email and have decided to take action. You need to let me take action as easily as possible.

Having the Registration and the Take Action functionality on one page is confusing. They should be separate. It would clarify what they're expecting users to do. And, the Go button is gray on white and tiny. I didn't see it the first few times I went there and ended up filling out the registration information again. I can only assume I'm not the only one.

I did a quick mock up and sent it to them. I can guarantee that if they made a few simple design changes they would improve the usability of the system and would increase the completion rate of people taking action.

The bigger point that I wanted to bring up is in relation the First Things First manifesto that was circulating fairly actively a few years back. Designers from all design related disciplines need to at the very least consider how they can use their talents to contribute to the community at large.