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What's New on the Web

The new and improved NWREL Web site, www.nwrel.org, made its debut in March. News about the latest events, products, and services—as well as articles of interest to Northwest educators—is now front and center and updated frequently. “With more than 20,000 pages of information being viewed by more than 400,000 visitors each month, the old design had outlived its usefulness,” explained NWREL Webmaster Vicki Jean Beauchamp. “The new design presents the wealth of information in a more user-friendly, dynamic way.”

As befits a research and development organization, the redesign went through nearly a year’s worth of rigorous data collection, development, and testing. A working group of NWREL Web developers initiated the process, which included online surveys of current site users, interviews with staff, input from the executive cabinet, and research into the latest Web technology. The group also utilized an independent consultant to conceptually bridge the gap between the old and new sites. Once it had passed the test by getting overwhelmingly positive remarks from a large group of both internal and external test users, the site was ready to launch. According to NWREL’s Marketing and Outreach Services Director, Caridan Craig, “The primary goals in redesigning the Web site were to create a more visually appealing and structured set of core pages and to put an increased emphasis on current events, projects, and services. The new site achieves both.”

Visitors are encouraged to explore the site at their leisure and bookmark pages of particular interest. Send questions or comments to the appropriate contact listed at www.nwrel.org/comm/contact.php.