One of the first places to begin drafting this website improvement has been with a thing called a “wiremap”. This is basically a vision board that can be hand drawn or computer generated and helps to show how the website layout will look, what will go where, etc. The wiremap has been really effective in analyzing the user experience when visiting various websites. I got a good taste of how it plays into usefulness as I read up about the forest more and ran into broken links and confusing organization from a number of sites. 

With a general layout tentatively decided on, much of my time has been focused on getting up-to-date and relevant information to use. One of my personal goals with this site is for it to be a credible tool for students who may be working on projects or for curious visitors who want specifics so that they walk away feeling like they know the forest all the more. 

For some topics such as culture and history, I’ve been especially careful in researching and writing on it. For this, I’ve been working with my supervisor and archeologist from the forest to do the topic right. The Angeles Forest history and culture is definitely something I have limited knowledge on even though I was raised in the area, which is really exciting! I’m looking forward to working with those who have the job of researching and accurately depicting the cultural history of this region and seeing how best I may help with their mission of sharing these stories with our community.

Agency: U.S Forest Service

Program: Resource Assistant Program (RAP)

Location: Angeles National Forest