Website Facelift Summary

August 2024

Our website has needed some love and attention for quite some time. This summer we embarked on a facelift project that is being led by Bob Small with the help of many others.

The scope of the facelift project is to work within the existing framework and structure while achieving these design goals:

• Mobile first: the current website displays well on mobile and desktop displays thanks to its "responsive" design elements. However, there is too much navigation (context switching) for it to be easy to use on a phone and almost half of our website visitors are using mobile devices.
• Simplified navigation: Merge related content from separate pages and eliminate the IN THIS SECTION sidebar menus.
• More welcoming: As our "front door" on the Internet, we want the language used in the website to be more welcoming. Specifically, writing in the first person, active voice, and simplifying the text. Using bulleted lists makes the content easier to scan.
• Highlight the many things that are going on: One of the most important things we want the website to communicate is that we have a lot going on. We will be adding an Upcoming Events listing on the homepage and will consider adding group-specific events to interior pages for individual groups - Sisterhood, Men's Club, Jewish Young Community, Religious School, Social Action.
• Improved accessibility features: As part of our commitment to inclusivity, we are making the website more accessible. The first steps are to:
• Add "alt text" to every image that is descriptive of the image so that a user who is using a screen reader can have a real understanding of what the image is about.
• Enhance the visibility and descriptiveness of hyperlinks throughout the site, we're 1) making the link text more descriptive and 2) making the color of each link a bright blue and adding an underline to make the links stand out (see link below).
• Standardizing page layout: People expect the page layouts to be consistent (not necessarily identical). We are using existing page templates but fewer of them and using layouts and heading structures in a consistent manner. We're eliminating "landing pages" that don't add value.
• Consistent use of language: We are standardizing how we spell Hebrew and Yiddish words. When we use them, they will be in italics (with English in parentheses). The homepage will introduce MJCBY as the shorthand for our name and we'll use that throughout.

The facelift project is being done incrementally. The project will continue into September and we'll be able to make improvements on a continuing basis. Your feedback is always welcome - please email your comments and suggestions to Bob Small.