Happy New Year, Window + Door readers. We’re ringing in the new decade with an all-new WindowandDoor.com, a project we’ve been working on throughout 2019.
Window + Door’s former Managing Editor, Bethany Stough, was the lead coordinator on the project, bringing insights from the fenestration industry, and fluency in the topics and authors that matter most to our audience to the conversations about website design and best practices. “Gaining a better understanding of our readers’ content and educational needs and being able to respond to those needs via a digital platform is the goal of this redesign,” she says.
Stough continues, “This is the first major change to WindowandDoor.com in a little over 10 years. While it was simply time for a change, it’s no small feat to redevelop and redesign a website, and we wanted to do it right, for the right reasons. The change was necessary because in 10 years, our industry, our readers, the NGA and the magazine have all changed. The new website reflects those changes and is designed to keep pace with future changes.”
When using the new site, readers will note several changes to the site structure, all designed to offer better user experience. The biggest change to the structure is an overall organization by topic and a more robust search functionality. Readers can search for specific topics and the site provides all content published on that topic with the All Topics navigation tab.
Further, the site is designed using modern web best practices for content consumption. Its layout includes more space on the page, larger fonts, horizontal format, large images, all to improve site navigation and readability. Best yet, readers can use any device to find what they are looking for quickly, and staff can offer much more for readers, including early access, photo galleries, educational videos, resource toolkits, digital product guides, multimedia content and infographics.
Additionally, the site includes:
- A more robust search functionality that allows users to search for specific topics; all content published on that topic in available in a navigation tab, plus additional and easily navigable sidebar space with related and further reading, as well as more ways to engage.
- Direct access to the digital version of the magazine, a clearer connection to Window + Door Weekly newsletter, Window + Door social media, plus clear ways to engage with and contribute to the magazine.
- Connection to our family of sites, including glass.org, glassbuild.com and glassmagazine.com. Readers can now easily navigate to and find the latest information relevant to them from NGA, from GlassBuild America and from Glass Magazine.
- Products, the most-read section of the magazine, has a prominent place on the site, and a design that reflects the importance of this section. Users can filter products by name, type or publication date to find what they’re looking for. In this section, readers can again find related information and more products easily.
Readers will get the first taste of web-exclusive content on this new platform with our online coverage of Design & Construction Week and the International Builders’ Show in the coming weeks. Combined with our live social media coverage, we’re aiming to make those who can’t make it to the event feel like they’re there, and those at the event to see the show from a different perspective.
We’re excited to hear what you think of the all new WindowandDoor.com. Email me with comments.
