The online interactive annual report of the Khan Academy for 2019 greets its visitors with a thought provoking question: “What if you could change lives?” Khan Academy is a nonprofit organization working to provide, world-class education for anyone seeking it, free of charge.
Navigation of this report is extremely clear and the layout is responsive as well. On entering the site, clicking on the illustrated hand results in the little purple Khan Academy logo falling downward – this prompts the reader to scroll down for more. Additionally, a menu on the top right gives quick access to any of the segments within the report.
The site might be merely a single page but is packed with a number of quirky single line illustrations and short sentences to pique the interest of the reader. Photographs are presented scrapbook style to complement the illustrations. The text on screen simply but effectively provides a sneak peek into a particular section, while the bold ‘Learn More’ buttons are enticing.
Clicking on the Learn More button in any of the segments leads to a pop up box that provides information that is a healthy balance of graphical and textual elements. There is even a short video message from the founder, Sal Khan, in one section.
The presentation of financial information is far from bland; it is displayed in the same quirky cartoon style, through the use of pie charts.
The faces behind the leadership of the Academy are presented towards the end; this tells us that the organization has placed their stakeholders first while also ensuring to first provide information to readers regarding their impact around the world.
Following a note of thanks to their supporters (funding during the 2019 period particularly helped meet the sudden demand in 2020 due to Covid-19), the call to action right at the end (a Give More button) encourages readers to donate towards making the continued provision of education a possibility – in other words, making the betterment of many lives a reality.
