You may have heard rumors about a new website or seen minor updates over the past year discussing plans for a redesign. Well, it has taken us a while, but we are finally entering the home stretch and plan to deploy at the end of the summer. The new website is more than just a visual redesign. It is an opportunity to make it easier to find information, improve the experience for both new and experienced observers, and create a foundation that allows us to more easily add new features and resources in the future. This will be a significant change, so let’s take some time to review what is changing, what is staying the same, and what you can expect during the transition.
Why Build a New Website?
The AAVSO website has been around about as long as the modern internet. During that time it has been redesigned several times, typically every five to ten years. Some of these changes reflected evolving web design, while others were driven by advances in the underlying technology that powers the site. Much like how Windows or MacOS updates itself every few years and deprecates older versions, web technologies do much the same. AAVSO has been using Drupal for many years, but it has become increasingly difficult to maintain and update as the platform has evolved. This led us to transition to a more sustainable platform that will be easier to maintain and build upon in the future.
Will the Site Look Different?
Yes, this will probably be the most obvious change. The site itself will have a completely new look.The menus have changed, and the site has a more modern design, as you can see in the screenshot below. We have also completely rewritten and reorganized some of the most important content. Our old site had a wealth of information, but a lot of it was difficult to find and/or outdated, so we chose to consolidate when moving to a new platform.
Will My Account or Login Change?
No. Your login will remain exactly the same. Your existing account, observing history, and other associated data will not be affected. The login button will also be located in the top right, just like on the current site.
What Happens to Content you Chose not to Migrate to the new Website?
We recognized early on that no matter how many pages we moved or how thorough we were, that we would inevitably miss things. For that reason, the old website will be available for the foreseeable future. If a page hasn’t yet been moved to the new site, you’ll automatically be redirected to the archived version. This means the information won’t disappear on launch day, even if it hasn’t yet been fully migrated. We will keep track of the most accessed pages and will slowly move these over to the new site.
What Happens to Existing Tools?
Some legacy tools, including the original WebObs and DataDownload interfaces, will be retired. Their modern replacements have already been available for several months. The functionality provided by these tools will continue to be available—the older interfaces are simply being retired. The new WebObs and Search/Download are already available. We even have a new Application Portal where you can find all of our tools in one convenient location.
What Will Change for Me?
This will depend heavily on how you use the site. If you mainly interact with our applications such as search and data submission, then the change has already been made and most are already familiar with them. From a content and navigation perspective, things will be different. We know adapting to a new website takes time, and there may be a learning curve. Our goal is to make that transition as smooth as possible by providing tutorials and responding quickly to your feedback. Over time, we believe the improved organization and searchability of the new site will make it easier to find the resources you need.
What are the Next Steps?
We just completed our first round of internal beta testing. We will be inviting members and volunteers in the coming days to do a round of public beta testing. If everything goes as planned we will send another email in late August, roughly a week before we plan to go live. This communication will have more specific information. Until then, if you haven’t used our new photometry submission, search, and download tools mentioned earlier, you are strongly encouraged to do so. If you feel something is missing at launch let us know. This launch is an important milestone, but it’s only the beginning. We’ll continue refining the site, adding content, and improving the experience based on your feedback. We appreciate your support and feedback during this transition and look forward to building the next generation of the AAVSO website together.