The AACE International website is a primary communications and service mechanism for the Association. In designing the website, we believe it is important to outline the fundamental principles used in designing the navigation and presentation of its content as well as the decision-making process used to determine what resources are deployed on the site.
Member-centric, not organization-centric
We use the language our members use-the members control the language on the site
The site represents what the member wants, not what the organization looks like
We give 90 percent emphasis to members, 10 percent to prospective members
We do not reach for new audiences until we meet the needs of our priority audiences. Every time you reach for a new audience, you diminish the emphasis on an existing one.
Keep it simple.
We design the site to make it simple for the member and we take on the complexity for ourselves.
The site is designed to be self-service with an emphasis on convenience, speed and price. The major design imperative is: “What is the fastest, most convenience way to move people to the next stage in the process?”
The site offers limited priority choice. If we offer too many options on a single page, people will stop seeing.
The site lists no more than ten choices in navigation per section.
Testing-based decision-making
We make decisions based primarily on member testing and feedback, including actual use patterns, focus groups, beta testers, etc. We don’t base decisions based upon opinion or assumptions.
We constantly test and we seek to incorporate member feedback and input into every aspect of the site and its tasks.
We directly observe members using our side as often as possible: self-service management is management by observation.
We value task completion as a key measure of success.
Focus on the core tasks
We strive to perfect our core tasks before we move on to new projects. Core tasks include membership, education, certification, annual meetings and technical transfer of information.
We follow the 80/20 rule: Spend 80 percent of our time and resources on core tasks and 20 percent on the rest.
We identify core tasks as defined by member-defined priorities and those functions essential to the successful operation of the Association.
The site is a series of processes, not a series of individual projects.
Manage, not administer
The site’s role is to help member’s make decisions and help them become more effective and efficient
We listen to what the member wants consistent with accepted web site practices and conventions
We publish the site we can professionally maintain and assure that all pages have been assigned to periodic review and assessment to remain current and viable.
*Modeled on the American Academy of Ophthalmology web site principles document
