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Nov/Dec 2022 | Vol. 79 No. 6

Website Redesign: Coming Soon!

ewly designed DKG websites — one for members and one for marketing the Society to nonmembers — are
Nnearing readiness! A video and a PowerPoint explaining the rationale for the new design are available for
members at DKG Website Redesign and can be used for chapter and state organization meetings or programs.
Two key principles drove decisions about the organization of the new sites: each must be user focused and
user friendly. User-focused design requires careful consideration of who is coming to the site and why she is
coming to the site. User-friendly design relates to the how of moving within the website: how do members think
about finding information and how does the site provide a logical progression of topics with the fewest possible
“clicks” to get to the desired information.
The current dkg.org website was developed in 2014 and tweaked a bit in 2017. Responding to concerns

frequently expressed to the International Communications and Marketing Committee (C&M) about difficulties
navigating the site, the Society’s Communications Technology Oversight Group (CTOG) decided it was time to
consider a major redesign. CTOG includes technology professionals at Headquarters as well as several mem-
bers who are critically concerned with communication, including the international president, executive director,
administrators, chair of C&M, and the Society editor. The group thus brings together those “in the know” about
the technology side of website design and those primarily concerned with content.
After months of scrutinizing the current website content, layout, and format, the Website Redesign subcom-

mittee of CTOG painstakingly developed site maps for each site — member and nonmember. The site maps are
just the skeletons of the websites — the behind-the-scenes organization of the parts and pieces. The artistic
design of the site is a separate issue. The site maps show the layering of information with seven green key tabs,
as recommended by many website experts; gold items indicate second-level clicks, followed by pink and light
blue for the third and fourth click levels.
Some Special Challenges
The Website Redesign Team discovered organizational dilemmas that led to creative solutions:
1. How to align DKGIEF info with the website redesign as it is a major source of funding for DKG activities
and programs? Solution: Establish a separate DKGIEF Tab on the member page, with DKGIEF listed under the

About Tab on the nonmember page. Both home pages will also include a separate “Donate” button.
2. How to align DKG Art Gallery info with the website redesign as it is technically a publication of works by
the members? Solution: Use an Art Gallery Icon and list the Gallery under the Publications/Documents Tab.
3. How to align leadership resources with the website redesign as these resources address DKG leadership
and leadership as a whole? Solution: Create a Leadership Tab (currently named Leadership Lab).
Moving Forward
As this issue goes to print, CTOG and the Website Redesign subcommittee are finalizing the sites for a

rollout by the end of the year. The website redesign information was presented at convention and made available
on the current website to share the vision and logic behind the redesign and allow members to dive into available
resources and offer their feedback via the form provided. Download the site maps (member and nonmember), a
PowerPoint presentation including notes, and/or a video recording that walks the viewer through the PowerPoint
presentation for your own information or for sharing at chapter or state organization functions from https://
www.dkg.org/website_redesign. Watch for additional information on dkg.org, in the DKGSI blogs, and in future
DKG NEWS and Collegial Exchange articles.

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