New Website Targets a Broader Audience

APS web content coordinator Kelly Osborn contemplates all the hard work by many people that made possible the transition from the old APS web site (left screen) to the new (right screen). After the launch of the new site, she will work with APS IT staff to keep it running, to update the content, and to implement improvements as needed. Photo credit: Sara Conners

The address will be the same, but the look and feel will be very different. This month APS unveils its new and improved website at www.aps.org.

While most of the current content will still be available on the new site, it is intended to be better organized, more attractive, easier to navigate, and more useful to a wider audience.

This is the first major redesign since the APS site was launched in 1995. In 2005, the APS Executive Board decided to update the site, in order to better highlight APS programs and services, especially those for groups other than APS members, including policy makers, students and educators, librarians, and the public (“physics enthusiasts”).

The new website will emphasize the programs and resources APS offers for these groups, while still catering to the needs of the primary audience, APS members. The new site will also highlight other APS websites, including the APS journals, PhysicsCentral, and Physical Review Focus. “This will raise awareness of the whole family of APS websites,” said webmaster Sara Conners.

Content is organized to make things easier to find. The site has been designed with “user-centered principles,” said Conners.

A calendar of upcoming meetings and a set of quick links will also enhance usability of the new site for APS members.

Throughout the redesign process, Beaconfire Consulting assisted APS staff with the strategy, architecture, and design and development of the new site. APS has also hired a new staff member, Kelly Osborn, to coordinate content for the website. She will stay in touch with all APS departments to ensure that content is up-to- date and well organized.

The new site will be updated regularly to feature different APS programs and highlight news items, so users should check back often.