New look GCSAA website coming next week

After months of behind-the-scenes planning, designing and testing, the face lift to GCSAA's website is about ready for its grand unveiling.

In a letter sent yesterday to GCSAA members, CEO Rhett Evans announced that an "open test" of the new website will launch Tuesday, April 5, with the goal of providing an opportunity for members to provide feedback and identify any potential glitches on both the new website and in the new forums section before the formal launch and give them an advance glimpse of the site's new look and feel.

"I am asking for your help in making this test as successful as possible by visiting the site and offering any feedback you have," Evans wrote in the letter.

Feedback on user's experiences will be gathered using the new forum product that will also be unveiled next week. Topics will be available for opinions on both the website overall, as well as the forums software, for members to post their comments. And if you're curious, the current usernames and passwords of GCSAA members looking to access the site and the forums should work just fine.

The complete letter from Evans is posted below:

Dear GCSAA Members,

On Tuesday, April 5, GCSAA will begin an "open test" of the redesigned website and new forums product. The two goals of the test are to put the site and forums into use so that any glitches or needed improvements can be identified, and to give you the opportunity to become familiar with them before they are launched. I am asking for your help in making this test as successful as possible by visiting the site and offering any feedback you have.

Accessing the new site and forums
During the test, the current website will remain the primary site, but you'll be able to access the new site by clicking the icon on the upper right hand corner of the home page.

As with any technology or software launch, we fully expect the open test to reveal constructive feedback and identify areas where further work is still required. Our goal is to cut over to the new website as soon as possible, depending upon the nature of any needed changes.

What you'll see
This first phase of the redesigned site has been focused on rebuilding the site's infrastructure, introducing the new forum product and providing you with more user-friendly design and navigation.

Once this phase is complete, we will begin rebuilding and transferring the current site's applications. For this reason, you'll notice that you'll be brought to the current site for many of the data-driven features, such as viewing your transcript or searching the membership directory. During this next phase, we'll also begin to bring you new features, such as enhanced search capabilities and regional information.

Providing feedback
The new forums product will be used to capture your feedback. In the forums area, you'll see topics for your feedback on both the forums and the website. New forum topics have also been added for your consideration.

Previous tests
The open test represents the next step in delivering an improved web product. In January, we asked a group of members to test various online forum products. At the conference and show, we utilized the Technology Test Drive area on the trade show floor to preview features of the new site with members. We took the feedback from the forums test and website preview to make changes and enhancements for a two-week "closed test" of the site in March that afforded nearly 60 GCSAA members the opportunity to provide their initial feedback.

Your support is appreciated
We appreciate your patience in the redesign process. This has been a significant undertaking during a time where we have had to reduce resources. However, we believe the new site will enhance efficiencies and benefit the members.

Questions and assistance
If you have any questions or experiencing any issues accessing the new web and forums site, please contact Lambert Tomeldan, GCSAA director of information technology at ltomeldan@gcsaa.org or 800-472-7878, ext. 5176; or Jeff Bollig, GCSAA senior director of communications and marketing, at jbollig@gcsaa.org or ext. 4430.

Sincerely,

Rhett Evans
GCSAA Chief Executive Officer