Announcing the new ATTCnetwork.org!

May 2014

Maureen Fitzgerald, Editor
ATTC Network
NIATx

Just before we launched the new, improved attcnetwork.org, we invited people to take a sneak peak and give us some feedback. We wanted to make sure that the new site is doing what it’s been designed to do:

Make it easier for people to find what they’re looking for.

Because, we’ll admit—and you told us—it was getting hard to find things on the previous site.

And what better time to revamp our site than our 20^th anniversary as a national resource for the addiction treatment and recovery services community? (Check out the History of the Network on the new site—it has a cool timeline feature that highlights key accomplishments of our first 20 years.)  

And what did our beta-testers have to say about the new site?

“User-friendly” and “Easy to navigate” were the two terms our beta testers used most frequently, often with exclamation points.

In particular, they like new site’s clean lines and the way the home page points users to some of the most popular ATTC resources: 

Products and Resources Catalog

Training and Events Calendar

Certification Information

One beta tester was happy to discover the ATTC/NIATx Service Improvement Blog, (thank you!) now easily accessible from the Communications tab on the home page, along with the Addiction Science Made Easy research briefs and our e-publications, the ATTC Messenger and The Bridge.

Another beta tester appreciated that the role of the Network and “technology transfer” are both defined in a prominent spots on the new site.

“Gorgeous,” said one beta-tester. “A home run!” said another.

attcnetwork.org

To make the new site as lean and clean as possible, some content had to go. You know how some professional organizers advise discarding or donating anything in your closet that you haven’t worn in a year? The web redesign applied a similar principle in taking inventory of the previous website’s pages. Many of them had not been accessed in several years, or had information that was out of date. 

One of the many things that we’re really excited about for the new site is that it’s optimized for mobile devices. That means that the pages change size for easy viewing on a tablet or a smartphone. While most of our beta-testers viewed this site on a desktop or a laptop, we anticipate that many more people will be using mobile devices to access www.attcnetwork.org in the near future.

Creating the new site with mobile-device users in mind helped the designers stay focused on the best way to present key pieces of information that you'll be looking for – in a restricted amount of screen space. They applied the same principle in using more white space—to make it easier to click content, and to reduce the number of clicks required to get to desired content.

Meanwhile, back at the home page

You’ll see three “slider” images, one each for HealtheKnowledge.org, Recovery Month, and the NIDA/SAMHSA Blending Initiative. We selected these for the website’s “marquee” to highlight their importance to the ATTC Network mission. (By the way, Recovery Month is celebrating 25 years this year--be sure to show your support by posting your Recovery Month events on the site.) We’ll be changing the slider images regularly so you won’t get bored: stay tuned for a new series coming up later this year.

Now that we’ve given you a bit of info on the new site, we hope you’ll take some time to explore it, if you haven’t already. And let us know if you find any glitches. But we mostly want to know that it’s working for you…and that you can find what you’re looking for.

Easily.

Send your comments on the new website to Dave Gustafson, Jr., at dave.gustafson@chess.wisc.edu 

P.S. Visit the ATTC Network Facebook and Twitter sites to find out how you could win a $25.00 Amazon Gift Card by posting about attcnetwork.org!