Lost and Found
ONS Redesigns Web Site for Easier Navigation
The ONS Web site is home to hundreds of pages of resources to promote excellence in oncology nursing and quality cancer care. But members repeatedly commented that they got lost trying to find the information they needed.
Welcome to ONS's new Web site-designed to ease navigation, focus on the most up-to-date oncology nursing news, make the site's content more condensed and concise, and help visitors find what they need quickly.
News and Features
A section in the middle of the page will provide visitors with a variety of articles on any given day: breaking news from the oncology field, stories about how ONS members are making a difference in cancer care, and coverage of ONS events, for example.
Resources by Category
Four categories toward the right side of the home page will always give visitors easy access to ONS's most current offerings and opportunities: Events and Deadlines, Continuing Nursing Education, Latest Resources, and Get Involved Today. The notifications under each of the headings will be continually refreshed and updated depending on what's new at ONS.
New ONS Program Search
The new Web site provides a quick and easy way to explore all current ONS educational offerings. Users have the option of viewing all ONS educational programs or selecting and refining topics through multiple categories. This option is available under the "Education" tab on the ONS home page.
"I Want to Find ..."
Another added feature of the site is a drop-down menu titled, "I Want to Find ... ." The menu is a focused alternative to a comprehensive key word search, although the traditional search function will remain. The "I Want to Find ..." area will give visitors easy access to very popular but more constant topics (for example, special interest groups and chapters, Putting Evidence Into Practice, information about symptoms for patients with cancer).
Why Change?
The redesign process began in 2008. "We got a lot of comments that 'The site is great, we don't want to throw it away, just refine it and make it easier to use,'" said Ed Fleck, ONS Director of System Development. "Getting information from a Web site is a lot different than reading a book. People want instant information and instant feedback."
The ONS Web site receives as many as 46,000 hits per month. With the new design and updated content, those thousands of nurses and patients will have easier access to the research and education that will transform cancer care.