Updating a Website, .orgSource Helps the American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons Demonstrate a Respected Image

The American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons (ACFAS) seeks to promote the art and science of foot, ankle, and related lower extremity surgery, address the concerns of foot and ankle surgeons, and advance and improve standards of education and surgical skill. The association, however, needed to create a website that accurately portrayed their specialty and leaders. One of the organization's largest goals was to talk about why ACFAS was a trusted source. ACFAS members are lifelong learners and do lead the surgical specialty to scientific achievements, professional parity and improved patient care. That image needed to be conveyed on the website to the public and media, as well as prospective members.

.orgSource was brought in to:

• Develop an overall website strategy.
• Update the current ACFAS website presence.
• Assist with vendor selection.
• Provide overall management of the project.
• Provide support and hands-on guidance, as well as offer best practices for a variety of implementation tasks, including content migration.
• Serve as the expert liaison between vendors and the association.

The Results

.orgSource started the project by contacting and interviewing the various audiences that ACFAS serves, including the board of directors. Telephone interviews, online surveys and card sorting exercises were conducted to evaluate and analyze how visitors were using the current website and its viewing content. (Card sorting generally is used to increase "findability" of items on a website. The process involves sorting a series of cards, each labeled with a piece of content or functionality, into groups that make sense to users or participants.)

By talking with the various constituents and learning about their preferences and needs, .orgSource was able to help the ACFAS make informed decisions based upon current data. One important decision was to enhance the look of the home page with expanded features for the public.  The ACFAS site now has tabs on the home page for the various and different audiences it serves:  members, public, media and health professionals. .orgSource also created a new taxonomy and architecture for the website. In addition, by becoming so familiar with all the players and the website architecture, .orgSource was instrumental in assisting ACFAS with overall branding and messaging on site. What followed was a content-rich and user-friendly website. Most importantly, it accurately illustrated why a member of ACFAS should be trusted and respected, why they are leaders in their profession and how ACFAS has benefitted them. This was done by using photos of ACFAS members, highlighting the length of time they had been members and short biographies.