PROGESS AND RENEWAL
apega.ca Modern, Streamlined, Simple to Navigate: APEGA’s New Website Impresses Users We’re excited about our new website, and the comments we’ve received suggest that most of you like it, too. The site looks better than the one it replaced, and the complete rebuild has made our information more pertinent, understandable, and accessible
and more visually appealing — especially when accessed from a mobile device.” He, too, visits apega.ca regularly to catch up on news and coming events, and to link to the Member Self-Service Centre. Ms. Iftinca and Mr. Crowe were among hundreds of Members who’ve provided feedback on the new website. The comments we’ve received strongly suggest that most of you consider the website a big improvement. It’s more modern, attractive, clean, intuitive, organized, and helpful than the site it replaced, and it’s easy to browse. We’ve also received lots of ideas and suggestions on how we can make the website better. We agree: websites are works in progress, and we’re always looking for new ways to enhance the user experience. Information critical to APEGA’s operation, particularly in the regulatory area, was posted on the site in time for the launch.
Members, Permit Holders, applicants, and other APEGA stakeholders have a lot of reasons to connect with us online. Visitors to apega.ca are typically: • applying for membership • registering for professional development sessions, luncheons, and other AEPGA events • seeking information on our regulatory processes • seeking employment with APEGA or APEGA Permit Holders • seeking volunteer opportunities to serve APEGA, the APEGA professions, and the development of future engineers and geoscientists • seeking information about our outreach programming, our legislative review progress, the Member benefits we offer, and Alberta engineering and geoscience in general • paying dues Our old site was outdated, making those uses and many others a less-than-ideal experience. That changed on January 25 with the launch of a new site. A major APEGA business goal, completing the site allowed us to improve service to all stakeholders. Stakeholders like Mariana Iftinca, P.Eng., and Scott Crowe, P.Geo. Since the launch, it’s been much easier for Ms. Iftinca to find information about APEGA professional development opportunities and details on the latest round of legislative review consultations. A senior engineer with Spartan Energy, Ms. Iftinca visits apega.ca several times a month to stay current on APEGA news and events — which are now featured up front on the home page. “The new website is more user-friendly and clearly laid out, and I find it easier to obtain the information I’m looking for,” she says. For Mr. Crowe, a hydrogeologist with Tervita, the changes took some getting used to. “But the more I use it, the more I like it,” he says. “It’s a lot easier to navigate than the old website
PLANNING AND RESEARCH
• We audited existing content and reviewed other websites. • We analyzed data on where and how visitors use our site, including the devices and browsers they use. • We listened to volunteers, one on one, as they performed website functions and searched for content. • We conducted card-sorting exercises with volunteers to learn how our audiences categorize our different roles and the information we provide, and we learned which words and phrases resonated with them and which did not.
SUMMER 2016 PEG | 49
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