Site Overhaul and Upgrade Project

Sunday, August 23, 2009 1

 The Site Overhaul and Upgrade
Project (SOUP) is an 18 month effort
that will touch all the systems that
power TechSoup.org.

Sunday, August 23, 2009 2

 How will SOUP improve the
experience of the users who come to
our site?

Sunday, August 23, 2009 3

 The cleaner, more modern look
allows users to focus on the reasons
they visit: Access to impactful
technology donations in a learning
environment.

Sunday, August 23, 2009 4

 How will SOUP improve our ability to
deliver technology product donations
and related information?

Sunday, August 23, 2009 5

 Up-to-date technology will provide
us with an opportunity to streamline
our processes, take advantage of
additional marketing and promotion
features, and increase overall site
security and stability.

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 What gets delivered?
Initial security Home Page Search
Infrastructure improvements
Phase 1

Donation
Technical Operational
Processing

Phase 2

Migrate Content to New platform

Phase 3

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 While there is much that we
want to share, this deck
focuses on Phase 1.

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 Currently in process, Phase 1
lays the groundwork for the
future.

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 • New server hardware
• Web server software
• Database
• Content management system
• Modern application development
language
• Improved and increased firewalls

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 The public launch of
Phase 1 is currently
scheduled for August 22.

Sunday, August 23, 2009 11

 Today, the TechSoup
home page looks like
this:

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 Current Home Page

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 On August 22, if
everything goes right,
it will look like this:

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Sunday, August 23, 2009 15
 Today, the TechSoup
search results page
looks like this:

Sunday, August 23, 2009 16

Sunday, August 23, 2009 17
 On August 22, if
everything goes right,
it will look like this:

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Sunday, August 23, 2009 19
 Today, article and
product pages looks
like this:

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Sunday, August 23, 2009 21
 And this:

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Sunday, August 23, 2009 23
 On August 22, if
everything goes right,
they will still look like
this:

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 And this:

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Sunday, August 23, 2009 27
 In Phase 1, key
pages will change,
but the majority of the
site will retain its
current look and feel.

Sunday, August 23, 2009 28

 Why, you might ask,
are we doing a site
redesign this way?

Sunday, August 23, 2009 29

 We are emphasizing
an approach that
brings value to our
users as soon as we
can deliver.

Sunday, August 23, 2009 30

 This allows us to
include the feedback
of our 400,000
monthly visitors
throughout the entire
effort.

Sunday, August 23, 2009 31

 How will user
feedback drive us
forward?

Sunday, August 23, 2009 32

 Editorial Thematic content TechSoup.org site
Board

Users Web analytics &

other feedback

TechSoup.org
Product
•UI/UX design
Manager •Development priorities

Actual behavior, Forums, Get Satisfaction widget, Call feedback (via CSR’s)

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 So, when will the
changes impact the
rest of the site?

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 Jan 2009 April 2009 July 2009 Oct 2009 Jan 2010 April 2010 July 2010

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 We would not have been
able to undertake this
project without the generous
support of Microsoft and the
William Randolph Hearst
Foundation.

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 Questions?
Just ask us.

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 And, like the bonus you
get when you watch
some movie credits to
the very end, here’s a
sneak peek at Phase 2:

Sunday, August 23, 2009 38

 Phase 2 – Changes to donation processing have
extensive technical & operational impact.
Donation
Processing

Catalog Mgmt

Order fulfillment Reporting

Payment processing Inventory Management

Registration/qualification Restrictions Mgmt Product maintenance

Sunday, August 23, 2009 39

 The deliverables in
Phase 2 will help us
gain more flexibility in
the way we are able to
implement and manage
donation programs.

Sunday, August 23, 2009 40

 The main benefits of
Phase 2 are targeted for
delivery in July 2010.

Sunday, August 23, 2009 41