Oregon Area 58
Meet the Partner
Alcoholics Anonymous is a community of individuals who support and help each other overcome their drinking problem. Through their 12-step program and free meetings, they help anyone, regardless of age, who wants to stop drinking. Oregon Area 58 carries the message of recovery and hosts meetings in 37 districts In the state.
The Opportunity
Oregon Area 58’s previous website was difficult to maintain and update, which often created barriers to effective communication.
AA relies on ongoing commitment from a group of volunteers who elect to serve in positions that keep the organization running and meeting the needs of those seeking recovery. Having an ever-changing set of volunteers working on the site presented us with a challenge to build a site that was easy to navigate, and simple to update without requiring extensive technical knowledge.
Within the Area, there are a variety of districts and committees, all with different priorities for the new website. To ensure all districts and committees felt represented, we needed to work closely with their members to tailor the website’s content and structure to meet their specific needs. While working with multiple stakeholders and conflicting priorities creates its own challenges, this collaboration ultimately helped us to better serve Oregon Area 58’s diverse audience.
A Complete Website Redesign
We kicked off the project by refreshing the Oregon Area 58 logo which set the tone for a cohesive and modern website redesign. The organization provided us with flexible brand guidelines, which we tweaked and updated to meet ADA requirements and modernize the look and feel of the site.
Ultimate Flexibility
To streamline the site, we introduced modular content blocks – pre-designed sections that can be mixed and matched to build pages quickly while maintaining a consistent look and feel. This eliminated the need to create a design for every page, which allowed us to stay within scope without sacrificing modern layouts for a variety of content.
Requirements for the redesign included improving user experience, streamlining tools like calendars and document management, and support for Spanish-speaking and non-English speaking users. Every detail of the website, from the homepage layout to individual content blocks and inner pages, was thoughtfully redesigned to meet these objectives.
Easy To Use From Back To Front
Oregon 58 made it clear from the start that the site’s main purpose was to make it easy for all users to easily find a meeting. This emphasized the need for a clean design with clear CTAs and minimal distractions. To meet these needs, we created a simple design with a readable font and a limited color palette.
While keeping the design simple, we wanted to differentiate it from other Area websites by highlighting their Oregon roots. We chose to use a collection of illustrations adjacent to their color palette that showcase the mountains, trees and coastlines that make up the beautiful state of Oregon.
Major Content And Navigation Reorganization
Oregon Area 58’s website needed to be completely reorganized to make information more accessible and user-friendly. One of the big hurdles to overcome for this project was dealing with rotating volunteers managing the website.
Content
To start, our project manager meticulously combed through every page of the site to document all existing content and where it lived. This ensured we left nothing out as we consolidated, re-organized and rewrote content to bring clarity and consistency to visitors. Our team wrote 17 of the site’s 40 pages, and created detailed outlines to guide Oregon Area 58’s team in writing the remaining pages.
User Journeys, Navigation And Page Layout
Because of the rotating volunteers managing the website over the years, it ended up with a mix of random, and often duplicated content, without a unified user journey. We addressed this by applying user journey principles to the navigation and page layout. Each section of the site was structured with the end-user in mind with top-level navigation and a clear and logical flow of information.
Everything was designed to keep navigation as simple and intuitive as possible and visitors can now easily locate weekly A.A. meetings, resources, and Oregon Area 58 events through clear mega menus.
Website Features
Event Registration
To simplify event management, we set up an event registration system fully integrated with Stripe. This integration allows Oregon Area 58 to easily manage events and track registrations. For users, the experience is just as effortless – they can quickly browse and register for events of interest. By combining functionality and user-friendly design, this system ensures that event participation is accessible and hassle-free for everyone involved.
Local Meeting Finder
To help site visitors find the help they need, we implemented a local meeting finder that allows users to find nearby meetings. Visitors can search for meetings and filter by district, day, time, and meeting type. We also added an interactive map to make things even easier for users who prefer to navigate information visually.
Supported Districts And Committees
To ensure all districts and committees felt represented, we worked closely with their members to tailor the website’s content and structure to meet their specific needs. This collaboration helped the site better serve Oregon Area 58’s diverse audience.
Multiple Integrations
To meet Oregon Area 58’s complex needs, we integrated the following functionality: Meeting Guide App (which we also reconfigured to broaden access and clarify use), site translation for seven languages, Google Calendar, PayPal for donations, and a group lookup number tool.
Enhanced Calendar Management
The old calendar was cluttered with outdated meetings and confusing categories. We cleaned up the calendar and transitioned it from WordPress to Google Calendar for greater organization and ease of use across their rotating, non-technical volunteers. This was a unique case where the organization’s budget and goals steered us toward a simple and user-friendly design, skipping the flashy aesthetics in favor of functionality and ease of use.
The End Result
Oregon Area 58’s new website is a powerful tool in supporting the organization on its mission of facilitating recovery and connection.
By addressing critical challenges like user experience, content organization, and a continuously rotating group of volunteers, the new site meets the needs of a diverse audience while making it much easier to maintain and add content to the website.
