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Communications & Marketing

Driving Forward: Considering DKG

Website Redesigns and Maps

One of the key points of discussion for the 2020–2022 International
Communications and Marketing (C&M) Committee was members’ concerns about
navigating the current DKG website (developed in 2014 and tweaked in 2017) to
find the information that they need. DKG is a complex, multi-layered organization
that requires resources and materials to serve Society members. A mountain of
information is available on the current DKG website, and members have expressed
confusion about how and where to find just what they need.
The concern about navigating the current site was brought to the International
Communications Technology Oversight Group (CTOG)—a group that includes
technology professionals at headquarters as well as several members who are
critically concerned with communication, including the international president,
executive director, administrators, chair of C&M, and Society editor. This
committee brings together those “in the know” about the technology side of
website design and those primarily concerned with content. The Website Revision
Team (WRTeam), a subcommittee of CTOG, was appointed, and the work began.
The WRTeam collaboratively scrutinized the current content, layout, and
format of the DKG member and nonmember websites to create a site map for each.
The team figuratively walked through each component of the current website and
charted 465 rows and 6 columns of pieces of information available there! With this
information in hand, the team began the redesign process, working approximately
10 months to generate the structural framework for a redesigned website. As this
issue of the Collegial Exchange goes to print, the redesigned site is well on its way
… and perhaps already launched!

The New Mantra—User Focused & User Friendly—Drives Site Maps
The WRTeam began the redesign process by asking questions that ultimately
led to two key concepts that drove decisions about organizing the member and
nonmember websites via painstakingly developed site maps. Each site map is just
the skeleton of the website—the behind-the-scenes organization of the parts and
pieces. The artistic design of the site is a separate issue.
The first key driver as the WRTeam developed a map or framework for the new
sites related to the WHO and WHY of the website: WHO is coming to the site,
and WHY is she coming? The team called this the principle of USER FOCUSED.
For the member site: Is the visitor in a leadership position and looking for training
or help? Preparing a program and needing key information about the Society?
Submitting an article or applying for an office or grant—and requiring the proper
forms and an overview of the process or requirements? Is she planning events
for the year and needing accurate dates and contacts? These were the kinds of
questions helping the team to focus on the user.
The WRTeam also honed the site maps by focusing on HOW questions, which
led to the second principle: USER FRIENDLY. The goal was to pursue logical

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