Hey everybody, its 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 yous 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. As Conan lead Liz Bacon said: Working with GVS has been an unmitigated pleasure. Our collaboration has been nearly effortless. and they helped us to find the right solutions for our needs wherever there were any questions. Ive been especially impressed at their ongoing efforts to involve the community in review of development progress. I cant say enough good things about their whole team." We are thrilled to be launching this new platform to support our community of practice.
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