Next Action Associates: A new suit of digital clothes

Those of you who have visited our website, www.next-action.co.uk, since Friday last week will have noticed that we’ve changed, well, pretty much everything.  New branding, new navigation, the lot.

Now such a dramatic change wasn’t undertaken lightly, and this week I’ll use my blog spot to talk about the top ten reasons behind the big change:

10)     We want to be there for you, wherever you are – over the last several years we’ve been seeing a steady rise in the number of people who access our site from mobile devices, mostly smart phones. Our old site was optimized for computer-based browsers, which meant that those of you accessing it on your mobile were probably doing a lot of pinching to zoom, or squinting, or both.  The new site uses “responsive design”, so it works well whether you’ve got a 28-inch monitor or a 5-inch mobile screen.

9)     Quick, what’s relevant?  – we’ve reorganized the home page so it’s clearer where you can find things of interest. Already know something about GTD?  Start with the links in the “Familiar with GTD?” section. Are you a GTD newbie? Check out the resources for individuals and companies in the “New to the Getting Things Done?” section.

8)    Keeping up with David Allen – the David Allen Company re-branded a few months ago, and as their exclusive certified partner in the UK and Ireland, we wanted a brand that was simpatico with theirs.  Our new brand is inspired by and sits comfortably with their new one.  A bit bolder, a bit more expansive, a bit more GTD.

7)     Sibling rivalry – our sister company in the German-speaking world, Next Action Partners, has had a snazzy new brand since they launched their brilliant website back in the Spring (have a browse at www.next-action.de if you’re curious and/or you’d like to try out your German). By comparison, we were starting to feel a bit like Cinderella before the ball. Our new site lets us hold our heads high when we’re on web conferences with our colleagues in Berlin.

6)     We’re celebrating our 5^th year – hard to believe, but we’re now five years old.  In a world where most companies don’t make it past year two, five is quite a milestone.  The new brand and site are candles on the birthday cake.

5)     Re-branding feels good – having a new brand feels like changing your wardrobe. Or having the kitchen re-done. Or buying a new car. You get the idea.

4)     Hey, look me over (again) – we’re hoping lots of people who knew the old site but haven’t visited us for a while will pay us a visit.  If that’s you, please do drop in.

3)     Provide a platform for features and expansion – we’ve built the new site on the latest flexible internet technologies.  So we’re confident that when that next tech trend hits, (larger mobile screens, anyone?) we’ll be ready.

2)     Built on solid foundations – it’s all behind the scenes, but the engine room of the new site makes it more responsive, reliable, and generally whizzier than ever.

1)     Feedback: musicians hate it, we love it – we’ve put a lot of time and effort into the new site, and we’re hoping you’ll find it helpful, engaging, and informative.  If you have some feedback, whether raves or rants, it will be gratefully received at info@next-action.co.uk.  We’re already thinking about the next version of the site, and your thoughts will help us make it that much better.