DEPARTMENTS
PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE
More than a Facelift
BY KATHLEEN S. MURPHY, AIHA PRESIDENT
Last month, AIHA unveiled a brand-new design for AIHA.org. The purpose of a new website is sometimes simply to give your company’s look a facelift. However, the recent updates to AIHA’s website were motivated by more than just cosmetic reasons. THE USER EXPERIENCE
Over the past six years, we have learned from our tri-annual Member Needs Surveys that our website is one of the top three member benefits AIHA offers. Yet, anecdotally, AIHA staff were constantly receiving feedback that the site’s navigability and user-friendliness were under par. Understanding these factors, AIHA’s Board of Directors agreed to undertake a website redesign.
Last year, staff conducted a customer survey of members and non-members about the website as well as a focus group of website users. Staff also worked with a UXP (user experience) team to learn about best practices in website design so that we could redesign the new AIHA.org with the needs of both members and non-members in mind.
The newly unveiled AIHA.org website is now simpler and more navigable. The site is very much consumer-focused, providing tools for people affected by hazards in the workplace and in their communities. We wanted to organize the many resources that AIHA committees and staff have developed over the years to make them more accessible to a wider audience and encourage people to learn how IH professionals can help them.
AIHA UNIVERSITY
One of the important features of the new website is AIHA University. Because AIHA’s educational offerings have been expanding to new outlets and formats over the years, staff felt this slight name change was needed to attract both new and current customers to our e-learning courses, publications, and other materials. By rebranding our education and marketing it to new audiences, we expect to broaden our footprint and increase sales.
We wanted to organize the many resources that AIHA committees and staff have developed over the years to make them more accessible to a wider audience and encourage people to learn how IH professionals can help them.
KATHLEEN S. MURPHY, CIH, is AIHA president and director of Global Regulatory Affairs at Sherwin Williams in Cleveland, Ohio.
The AIHA University page brings together all of AIHA’s resources, including e-learning opportunities, face-to-face course offerings, certificate programs, and publications. Also available are links to our eLibrary Subscription package and the member-developed, subject-specific “frameworks” (previously known as “bodies of knowledge”).
THE NEW MEMBER CENTER
Other improvements made to AIHA.org include enhanced search capabilities and a better experience for users of mobile devices. The AIHA Member Center has also been reimagined to place Catalyst, our online community, front and center. When you click on the “member access” link, you’ll be brought directly to the Catalyst home page with its links to current discussions, AIHA-related news, blog posts, and a list of upcoming educational events.
The Catalyst home page also includes an easy-to-find link to the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene on the right side of the page. That link provides member access to the JOEH home page, where you can search for and download articles. Members who want to browse past issues of The Synergist will find a link to the full-issue PDF archives on the Member Center page.
I encourage you to look around the new website and get familiar with it. Change is not always easy, but it’s necessary to improve. We acknowledge that nothing is perfect, and that’s why staff is open to your feedback. Please use the feedback form to share your thoughts on the new site.