Yoshi Coalition

YOSHIの会 was founded in 1992 after Japanese exchange student Yoshihiro Hattori was shot and killed in the United States. The organization collected 1.7 million signatures in support of stronger gun regulations and helped advance the Brady Bill, which established federal background checks for many firearm purchases. Its previous website contained 30 years of activity records, scholarship history, and press coverage, but years of adding pages had made important information difficult to find. I reviewed the full site, reorganized the content by purpose, and created a dated activity archive that lets visitors follow the organization’s work year by year.

Donations support a scholarship that sends Japanese high school students to the United States each year. On the previous site, visitors had to move through several pages to find instructions for contributing. The redesigned site places a “Donate / Contact Us” button at the top of every page, keeping that information one click away. The support page first explains how donations are used and what they make possible, allowing visitors to understand the impact before deciding whether to contribute.

Many of the site’s primary users—including members, bereaved families, and long-time supporters—are in their sixties or older. I therefore prioritized readability and ease of use across a wide range of ages and abilities. The site uses larger body text, generous line spacing, and a warm off-white background to reduce eye strain. Text and background colors are clearly differentiated, buttons are large enough to select comfortably, and form fields are labeled “Required” or “Optional” in words rather than by color alone. I also removed information that appears only when a mouse hovers over it and avoided automatic movement, ensuring that everyone can access the same content.

The organization also needed to maintain the site after my involvement ended. Because its volunteer editors are not web specialists, I gave the editing experience the same attention as the public website. The administration screens use plain-language labels, and volunteers can add an activity record by completing a short form instead of designing a new page. This project allowed me to apply what I learned at university about organizing information clearly, designing for people with different abilities, and testing the site with the people who would actually maintain it.