Land Trust Alliance Launches a New Site with ifPeople
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ifPeople is excited to announce the launch of a new web site for the Land Trust Alliance. The Land Trust Alliance works to save the places people love by strengthening land conservation across America. The new site features the ifDirectory, a new site infrastucture, and dynamic content that helps users find exactly what they are looking for while keeping the site fresh and engaging.
The Alliance decided to launch a new web site because their previous site
was difficult to use: the navigation was convoluted and it became impossible
to take advantage of the growing collection of content. Because it was
so difficult to access information buried in the site, all of the stakeholders
wanted their content on the home page. As a result, the homepage became
a bulletin board rather than a strategic communication piece. LTA decided
it was time to update their image, get control of the information architecture,
and engage a broader stakeholder group. ifPeople became an important
part of their new strategic technology plan.
ifPeople began by interviewing stakeholders to learn about the network
of funders, land trusts, and supporting organizations that work with
the Land Trust Alliance, and quickly uncovered the specific parts of
the web site they valued most. We also found that stakeholders craved
a deeper conversation with the Alliance. We made sure that the new site
maintained the core tools for users while providing them with more ways
to see themselves within the community.
ifPeople also carried out usability testing, which revealed challenges
in the information architecture. ifPeople's Online Community Architect,
Tirza Hollenhorst, designed a wireframe that provides users the graphical
and textual cues about each section’s content. By incorporating extensive
dynamic content and a keyword strategy that makes it easy for site managers
to get information to the right user group, we solved the challenge
of meeting the varied needs of each stakeholder group.
The launch just happens to coincide with the announcement that Hyde
Farm in Marietta, Georgia has been secured as a land trust and will
be forever saved from development. Hyde Farm is one of the last contiguous
parcels in the area of undeveloped land continually farmed since the
early 19th century. ifPeople founders, Tirza Hollenhorst
and Chris Johnson, have been supporters of Friends of Hyde Farm, and
encourage everyone to get involved with local land trust organizations.
You can use the ifDirectory on the Land Trust Alliances site to find
a local land trust near you.
