We're all very excited and really looking forward to our new online home.
Thanks very much to Liz Bacon (yay!) and everyone else who has put
time into this! The new site is key to the growth of our practice and
IxDA local groups, and I look forward to migrating IxDA Atlanta to the
new platform.
Thanks!!
Maria Cordell
http://ixdaatlanta.ning.com (for now)
On Fri, Feb 19, 2010 at 12:57 PM, Joe Sokohl j...@sokohl.com wrote:
Hey everybody, it’s launch time!
After a herculean effort by so many people, the new IxDA website will
launch. We hope to launch it either this weekend or next. Please be
sure to read the important steps you need to take to stay connected.
Code-named Conan, the new IxDA.org site contains features that take
the IxDA to a new level:
* New spaces for local groups, including local events,
discussions, and jobs
* Enhanced discussion area featuring better threading, media
sharing, searching, and syndication
* Resources about interaction design
* Job board for posting job positions and finding
opportunities, including those at Coroflot
* Membership directory that enables you to connect with
mentors or protégés
* Enhanced profile creation and control
* Unified conference information
IxDA considers this new website to be global platform that furthers
our mission and offers great potential for future extensions
envisioned by our active community of practice.
As we launch this exciting site, we know there might be some
minor glitches and growing pains. Please be patient. We will be
channeling your feedback through Get Satisfaction, so stay tuned for
that information.
IMPORTANT STEPS
When the new site launches, we need existing members
to take a simple step to get access and continue your participation.
We need you to visit the new website in order to
request a password.
1. In the header of the new site, select Request password.
2. Enter the email address associated with your IxDA Discussion
subscription. The system
will generate a password and send it to you.
3. To log in to the site, follow the link in the email you receive.
Then you should change your password to one that you want to use.
By following this process, your member profile will reflect all your
previous activity at IxDA.org.
New members need to create a fresh account:
1. In the header, select Become a member.
2. Complete the member profile fields and submit the form.
3. When you receive a confirmation email, just follow the process as
it outlines.
PROJECT BACKGROUND
Creating Conan took the work of this entire community. Not only did
you step in to contribute in June 2009 to support funding, but many
of you helped out by giving input and ideas.
Starting in 2007, the IxDA Board of Directors began discussing how to
create a new, extensible platform for the association. In the fall of
2008, then-VP Liz Bacon stepped up to lead the project as Creative
Director Project Manager. Along with Nasir Barday, the team worked
on refining a vision of what the site should do…and be.
That November, 26 IxDA members answered the public call for
participation. Managing a team this size was awesome and a bit
terrifying. From the end of 2008 until February 2009, the Conan team
surveyed the community about the existing ixda.org, and defined the
project goals. Liz then divided up the Conan team into feature teams.
The team created a release plan involving research, requirements
definition, design, RFP and development phases.
The spring and summer of 2009 saw evaluation of technical
options, with the team finally settling on Drupal as an
extensible, open-source CMS solution. In addition, the team
finalized the interaction design for the site. We want to thank
the 13 most active contributors who stayed engaged the whole way
through: Alok Nandy, Atul Thanvi, Chong Lee Khoo, Jason Pamental,
Jonathan Knoll, Rich Rogan, and most especially Neil Cadsawan, Maria
De Monte, Mayur Karnik, Shiva Reddy, Tonia Bartz, and Miek Dunbar.
From May to June 2009, we considered RFP responses from 13 leading
Drupal development companies. We conducted a community fundraiser to
support the Conan project, and raised about $15,000. This ultimately
covered about 25% of the development costs.
Last August, the Conan team shared design concepts with the IxDA
community. More than 80 people participated in the ConceptShare
review phase with great input: thank you’s to the 40 or so who
provided comments! We refined the site design significantly.
After a false start with one technology vendor, in October 2009 the
team turned to Growing Venture Solutions (GVS) with hope in our
hearts. We were always impressed by their commitment to Drupal and
their understanding of our requirements. At this
time, we also established another, broader team of IxDA
volunteers to review the development phase progress. As GVS completed
each 2-week sprint, we recorded the demo session and shared it with
that team.
