West Side United Website Rebuild
May 2024
The story of West Side United is not as widely known as it should be.
What would be the impact if more people knew WSU’s story and knew it to it’s fullest?
People Connect Emotionally to Visuals
The current site is predominately text. With AI, we have the opportunity of creating high quality, compelling visuals at a cost and speed which was impossible until this year.
AI visuals should be replaced when possible with real visuals the way stock images should. But the nuance with which visual ideas can be expressed can engage people like never before and we can take WSUs story to the next level quickly and cost effectively.
All of these images were created from screen captures of Rush’s “West Side United's Investing with Impact on Chicago's West Side” video and then rebuilt with AI.
Screen captures from the video are asked to be “described” by an AI tool. From that description, new, high quality renders are created to the source and the consistency across all images are very high creating a more cohesive visual message.
West Side United Phase 1
Ready the first week in June, the existing site can be converted and rebranded into a Squarespace website platform with more compelling visuals added, some short videos added to enhance and support text and some long scroll landing page design added to improve and control the delivery of key information. The entire site has already been exported from Word Press and imported into this demo site.
Cost: $10,000 — $15,000
Low Range:
The upgrade as described above.
High Range
More video and visual production.
All content from existing site converted over into new Squarespace platform
Squarespace platform: More secure from hacking, easier to edit, manage and expand
New branding applied
New, improved landing page design and organization of content
More visual support added to existing content using more cost effective visual creation tools
New short vertical videos introduced to support content
Existing videos converted to smaller short video segments
Website Import into Squarespace
There are currently 165 pages in the website, all of which have been imported into a new Squrespace site. There will be a lot of fine-tuning and clean-up but a huge amount of effort has been saved by using a Squarespace / Wordpress Import / Export tool.
West Side United Phase 2
Ready July / August, more content design, a new interview video library of 25 to 50 short interview videos and an aerial photo / video capture of every neighborhood using a 360 video camera.
Cost: $15,000 — $20,000
Guerrilla Style Interview Videos
Saturday morning, a few weeks ago, 4 interns and myself walked into 14 businesses in downtown Batavia unannounced and the interns offered a free social media video if the business would answer two questions while an intern recorded them with their phone and another intern walked and filmed their facility with a 360 video camera.
The interviews took less than 5 minutes to capture and the results were some of the most authentic I’ve witnessed.
We could so something similar with West Side United people and places within the neighborhoods. We could drive from location to location, capture quick interviews and then move on to the next location.
Below: BataviaIL.co: featuring 16 videos from 14 locations, all shot on a Saturday morning unannounced. Final videos average 30-60 seconds
Indianapolis Public School Videos
Similar to Batavia, we visited 10 of the most underserved schools in Indianapolis as part of their Emerging Schools campaign. This video is a snippet from every teacher where they were asked (without knowing the questions ahead of time) why they choose IPS.
Insta360 videos
These videos were shot with a 360 video camera on a long selfie stick which many mistake for drone video. The stick is automatically hidden and the video recording can be deployed in seconds. 6 of the most underserved neighborhoods in Indianapolis were shot in one day with this method both inside and outside the schools.
Whether video or static pictures, this 360 camera can capture drone like visuals and be deployed in seconds. Traveling
Below: pick out two locations for each neighborhood which would represent "health & healthcare"
Austin
Loretto Hospital: As a community hospital, Loretto is crucial in providing healthcare services and addressing disparities in health in the Austin neighborhood.
Austin Town Hall Park: This location is significant for community health events and outreach programs, making it a central spot for community engagement and health education.
East Garfield Park
Breakthrough Urban Ministries: This location provides both healthcare services and social support, addressing the structural factors contributing to health disparities.
Garfield Park Conservatory: Often a site for community gatherings and health-related events, such as wellness and mental health workshops.
Humboldt Park
Norwegian American Hospital: A critical healthcare provider in the neighborhood, focusing on reducing health disparities.
Humboldt Park itself: This is a common site for community health fairs, exercise programs, and public health outreach events.
Lower West Side (Pilsen)
Alivio Medical Center: Focused on providing healthcare to the Latino community, including a wide range of health services.
Dvorak Park: Often hosts community health events and is a gathering place for health promotion activities.
Near West Side
Rush University Medical Center: A major hospital that engages in numerous community health initiatives and partnerships to improve local health outcomes.
Union Park: Used for community health events, including health screenings and fitness programs.
West Town
Presence Saints Mary and Elizabeth Medical Center: This hospital serves as a key healthcare provider in West Town with a focus on community health.
Eckhart Park: Location for community wellness events and activities promoting healthy lifestyles.
North Lawndale
Mount Sinai Hospital: A significant provider of health services in the neighborhood, focusing on addressing local health issues.
Douglas Park: A hub for community and health fairs that provide screenings, education, and resources to residents.
South Lawndale (Little Village)
Saint Anthony Hospital: This hospital plays a crucial role in health care provision in Little Village.
Piotrowski Park: Known for hosting community health and wellness events, serving as a key location for local health engagement.
West Garfield Park
West Suburban Medical Center: Provides essential health services and is actively involved in community health programs.
Garfield Park: As with East Garfield Park, this is a significant location for health initiatives, including fitness programs and health education events.
Optimal Order of Locations:
West Suburban Medical Center (West Garfield Park)
Mount Sinai Hospital (North Lawndale)
Douglas Park (North Lawndale)
St. Anthony Hospital (South Lawndale)
Piotrowski Park (South Lawndale)
Loretto Hospital (Austin)
Austin Town Hall Park (Austin)
Breakthrough Urban Ministries (East Garfield Park)
Garfield Park Conservatory (East Garfield Park)
Rush University Medical Center (Near West Side)
Union Park (Near West Side)
Norwegian American Hospital (Humboldt Park)
Humboldt Park (Humboldt Park)
Presence Saints Mary and Elizabeth Medical Center (West Town)
Eckhart Park (West Town)
Alivio Medical Center (Lower West Side)
Dvorak Park (Lower West Side)
Estimated Time Calculation:
Driving time: If we assume an average of 10 minutes of driving time between each location (this is a rough approximation), we would have:
16 intervals between 17 locations: 16×10 minutes=160 minutes16×10 minutes=160 minutes
Time spent at each location: With 5 minutes allocated per location for taking pictures:
17 locations: 17×5 minutes=85 minutes17×5 minutes=85 minutes
Total Estimated Time:
Total time: 160 minutes (driving)+85 minutes (at locations)=245 minutes160 minutes (driving)+85 minutes (at locations)=245 minutes
This equates to approximately 4 hours and 5 minutes.
This route and time estimate would give you a fairly efficient path for capturing the health and healthcare features of these neighborhoods, though actual conditions could cause variations.
