Reston Association’s new, permanent website is almost ready to go live.
The redesigned website is expected to roll out September, communications director Cara O’Donnell told the Board of Directors on July 25. The launch would come more than four years after outdated software prompted the homeowners’ association to take down its previous online home and transition to a temporary, more limited platform.
“This has been a long time coming, and I think we’re all universally excited to see it come to fruition,” O’Donnell said.
Developed by the contracted vendor CivicPlus, the new site design is intended to be “much easier to use, much more visually interesting and much simpler for members to find the information they need,” according to O’Donnell.
Per a summary provided to the board, features will include:
- A bright homepage with direct links to our most-viewed pages, top news and a call to action widget
- Embedded meeting/agenda packets directly on site
- A “How Do I…” tab that directs members to some of the activities they want to complete on the site
- A signup page that will direct members to subscribe to publications, etc (collecting emails)
- An “emergency alert” banner to easily alert members to unscheduled pool closings, weather cancellations, etc.
- An opinion poll to collect member feedback
- Detailed forms to report complaints, CSF requests, etc with direct tracking to relevant staff
- Increased transparency through individual contact us pages on each major landing page
- A “community voice” message board for Cluster presidents to connect directly with each on common issues
RA began looking to overhaul its website in July 2020 after its information technology department recommended moving to a new platform because the existing site relied on outdated technology that raised stability and security issues.
The association shifted to a temporary SquareSpace site that provides basic information, such as overviews of capital projects and parks and recreation facilities, but many key functions, from materials for board meetings to an event calendar, are hosted on other platforms.
The RA board approved the creation of an IT committee in March 2021 and hired a consulting firm to conduct a review. Completed in January 2022, the assessment found that technology issues, including security lapses and a 2019 server crash that resulted in the loss of some financial and vehicle records, cost RA $46,000.
O’Donnell assured the board at its July 25 meeting that the new website will be thoroughly tested before it launches.
“We have staff planned to do nothing but go through every single page, every single link to make sure those are working when we launch,” she said.
At-Large Director John Farrell questioned the inclusion of an “opinion poll” function on the website, noting that he supports getting feedback from members but doesn’t trust online polls to be reliable or representative of the entire community. He compared the rigor of the community survey that RA conducted last year to the informal polls run by Patch and Reston Now, FFXnow’s predecessor.
“We spent a whole lot of money on a community survey that was professionally valid and reliable, and my experience of these kinds of opinion polls is they’re neither,” Farrell said. “It’s just…can I get my neighbors to flood the zone, etcetera.”
Stressing that it wouldn’t be the only way RA collects data and member opinions, O’Donnell suggested — and board members agreed — that the tool could be framed more as a way to give feedback on topics like the annual budget, rather than a poll with statistically valid results.
“From my perspective, I feel very strongly that this is a good way to get our members involved, and getting their feedback is a good way to start that engagement,” board president and at-large director Jalal Mapar said.
After next month’s initial launch, RA will continue building out the site with additional capabilities, including mobile app development and a consolidation of third-party platforms like WebTrac, which currently hosts the event calendar and program registration functions, so members only need to sign in once to access everything.
Jennifer Jushchuk, the South Lakes district director, emphasized the need for a “seamless” user experience. She also suggested that staff carefully consider what information to make available on public pages versus members-only pages.
Under its contract with CivicPlus, the website redesign cost RA $124,894 over four years, including an annual cost for licensing, hosting and technical support.
“I want people to be excited about this,” O’Donnell said. “I want them to get involved and tell us what they think about the site, because while I’m also a member here at RA, I’m also very, very close to this project, so I want to hear what our community has to say.”
