Lions and Tigers and Bears, Oh My! Berndt Group Launches New Web Site for the Association of Zoos and Aquariums

June 18, 2009

BALTIMORE, MD—The Berndt Group worked with The Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) to create a new web site that involved implementation of the Ektron content management system.

The Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the advancement of accredited zoos and aquariums in the areas of animal care, wildlife conservation, education and science. AZA is America's leading accrediting organization for zoos and aquariums and accredits only those institutions that have achieved rigorous standards for animal care, education, wildlife conservation and science.

The Berndt Group completed an extensive twelve month Design Study project in December 2008 with AZA. This project involved extremely thorough analysis of AZA's business requirements, best practices research and development of a detailed Project Strategy and Design Brief (our recommendations for how to approach the project based on our understanding of the client's business requirements, the challenges we identified and how we would address them, etc).

Once we completed that initial Discovery phase, we moved on to Information Architecture, Graphic Design, Production of HTML templates and development of Functional Requirements (a detailed document outlining all functionality on the site and our recommendations for how we would implement the site in the chosen content management system (CMS), Ektron.

Challenges in the Design Study included coming up with a clear Information Architecture for the site and organizing large volumes of content (static and database-driven) into the new site architecture. Developing a compelling online graphic identity that adhered to AZA's brand standards along with the large volume of design mockups that needed to be completed (a large number of subpage variants) also presented challenges.

The Functional Requirements, the last deliverable on this phase of the project, was a rigorous one month process that involved drafting the requirements document after a series of working sessions with the client to identify all functionality needs as related to the project scope, review with the client of the document and revisions, and ultimately document approval. The document included extremely detailed requirements definition, spreadsheets of taxonomies, related wireframes, content definition spreadsheets, etc.

January 2009 saw the kickoff of Phase 2 of the project, the Implementation phase. We completed a month of additional Information Architecture work for additional subpage variants identified during the Functional Requirements phase and the related design and production. We then began implementation of the CMS and build out of all the functionality defined in the Functional Requirements. Last steps included content transition/integration, QA and testing and training.

The site will see a phased launch approach; the initial phase of the site launched in June 2009. Noteworthy features included:

• Eight different levels of membership, each with different permissions

• Job Listings allowing members to post, edit and delete listings, tied to their member account

• Forms allowing members to submit content, including "News and Events"

• User-submitted News and Events related via keyword taxonomy

• Banner Advertising, served up by Google AdManager

• Lush black and white photography throughout the site, courtesy of National Geographic photographer, Joel Sartore

• Archives of AZA's print publication, CONNECT Magazine

Kate Bronislawski, Director, Web Services and New Media for the Association of Zoos and Aquariums enthused, "It was a major challenge to organize the huge amount of technical information needed by AZA members, while at the same time appealing to many other audiences, including kids and families, researchers and reporters, jobseekers, and the general public.  The Berndt Group worked with us to keep our site focused, lucid, and easy to navigate."

The next rollout is scheduled for September 2009. Key additional features will include:

• Animal Programs Database - a custom search and tracking tool that will allow researchers to look up animal conservation programs, send program deadline alerts, submit and review documents and access program web sites

• Find a Zoo or Aquarium - a search tool tied into the Membership Database, that will allow users to search for AZA-accredited zoos and aquariums by state

• Collaborative Workspace - a social networking feature leveraging Ektron's extranet module that will allow AZA members to interact via a wiki and forum, share documents and view contact information

Berndt Group Founder and CEO John Berndt commented, "In addition to being a great design opportunity, this project was an important one for us from a technology perspective. It has been a model project for the integration of CMS-best practices with larger issues of technology integration and custom database development. Plus, who can resist the anti-venom index!"

Ektron also considers the new AZA site a success: "When building a web site it is important to develop a Web project strategy and understand not only the goals of the site today but the goals of the site 3 or 5 years from now," stated Bill Rogers, chief executive officer at Ektron. "Using CMS400.NET as the Web content management platform, The Berndt Group laid out the foundation for the AZA web site to scale as new functionality is required and as the site membership grows."

About The Berndt Group

The Berndt Group has been a leading Web design, development and brand communications firm since 1991. The firm provides an integrated set of creative services, including strategic consulting, brand and application development, software implementation, web site design, and internet marketing. Based in Baltimore, MD, the firm services a diverse international and regional base of over fifty active clients, including: The National Aquarium, Johns Hopkins Institutions, SafeNet, Inc., Raytheon, U.S. Immigration, The Federal Aviation Administration, The U.S. Forest Service, The Abell Foundation, and many others. For more information, visit www.berndtgroup.net.

Media Contact

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Michelle Géczy
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phone: 410.889.5854 x 12
email: michelle.geczy@berndtgroup.net