web design
Redesigning NTEN.org: of Card Sorts and Site Maps
Andre didn't win nearly as often when he was overly concerned with looking good.A month into our site overhaul, we haven't even started talking about the graphic design yet -- and that's a good thing. As Andre Agassi learned, image isn't everything; flash without substance doesn't win you 8 Grand Slam titles (and we're all about the big tournaments here at NTEN).
We're going to make sure our site architecture is sound before we worry about making it purty.
The story so far:
Help Us Redesign the NTEN Web Site
Flickr Photo: zakleeOur web site is over two years old, and the botox just isn't hiding the
cracks anymore. Fortunately, the good folks at Beaconfire are helping us out with a
professional grade User Interfacelift, er, site redesign. We're going to do our best to document the process over the next few months.
We're starting with an Open Card Sort. And, just because you're a blog reader, you get the chance to experiment with one of the tools the big orgs use, while helping us out at the same time.
If you're not familiar with Card Sorting, it's not at all like that time you lost all your money on a street corner in New York City, trying to follow the Queen. No, a Card Sort is a way of determining how users think about your content. In our case, you'll be presented with titles for about 50 of the pages that best represent NTEN.org. You get to drag and drop these pages/cards on the screen, organizing them into groups that make the most sense to you. You even get to name the groups!
Bethany Little, Director of Interactive Services,