www.usfirst.org

[Taylor]

A common complaint I've heard over the years is that the FIRST website is tremendously hard to navigate, especially for those unfamiliar with the site or laypeople trying to find out about the competitions.
What suggestions would you have to improve the site? Information, layout, organization, relevance - how would you change it?
Moving forward, let's try to keep a "I would implement ... " rather than " ... inhales audibly." Constructive comments are encouraged.

For example, I would prefer if the main "front" page simply had four sections: FRC, FTC, FLL, FIRST Overall; perhaps the screen could be in quadrants. That way we could easily go the general direction we would like without squinting to find the links or using obstructive drop-down menus.

Thoughts?

How about 5 sections? For JFLL, as well.

Nice thread. The FIRST website does need some changes to make it more "user-friendly".

[EricH]

A way to search for teams by number as well as location would be extremely helpful. (And how about having a way to search for FLL teams, at least by school/city, something like "There are 5 teams in (area/school)"? Numbers don't work in FLL.)

[rsisk]

Originally Posted by EricH

A way to search for teams by number as well as location would be extremely helpful. (And how about having a way to search for FLL teams, at least by school/city, something like "There are 5 teams in (area/school)"? Numbers don't work in FLL.)

The search by location should include a search for teams within x miles of a zip code.

[tsaksa]

One problem our team has had is that only one person on a team that is allowed to post official questions about rule clarification. This is the official site for such things and official rule clarification does require more care and thought, but the existing process can be a significant limitation at times. A team will often need more information on a rule where quick is more important than official status. Even if the process was quick, the coach who can post official requests for clarification is often not available. In that case a member usually goes the unofficial route on CD.

It seems like there needs to be some way on the site to get quick if unofficial advice and to do it in a way that does not require special status to make the ruling request. Without that I think some people may continue to avoid the official process.

[Nate Laverdure]

Move the hosting of Bill's Blog from Blogspot to USFIRST.org. Since content posted there has become part of FRC canon, the blog deserves a home on the FIRST website.

[1986titans]

Originally Posted by Nate Laverdure

Move the hosting of Bill's Blog from Blogspot to USFIRST.org. Since content posted there has become part of FRC canon, the blog deserves a home on the FIRST website.

This is very easy to do with any Blogger blog, and I've even done it with my own blog.

I agree that webcasts should be very easy to find. It's a great way to get people interested in FIRST, and it's hard to get people interested if they have to dig.

[Jacob Paikoff]

How about if they had a new url like usfirstfrc.org that lead you straight to the FRC page because when I'm trying to explain to people how to navigate the website they have the hardest time understanding how to get from the home page to the FRC page.

[Joe Ross]

Originally Posted by Jacob Paikoff

How about if they had a new url like usfirstfrc.org that lead you straight to the FRC page because when I'm trying to explain to people how to navigate the website they have the hardest time understanding how to get from the home page to the FRC page.

How about http://www.usfirst.org/frc?

[Jacob Paikoff]

Originally Posted by Joe Ross

How about http://www.usfirst.org/frc?

Totally just blew my mind, lol

I figured something like that excised, I'll have to remember to tell people that when I direct them to the FIRST website.

[Colin P]

I want to see a searchable map of all teams, organized by competition (FLL, FTC, FRC), on usfirst.org somewhere. It wouldn't be the hardest thing in the world to do, and it could help people who are interested in helping teams find some in their area to work with.

[PayneTrain]

Originally Posted by Colin P

I want to see a searchable map of all teams, organized by competition (FLL, FTC, FRC), on usfirst.org somewhere. It wouldn't be the hardest thing in the world to do, and it could help people who are interested in helping teams find some in their area to work with.

All the teams could register at their address on TIMS (I don't think that's required) then they could just import that data into points in a Google Maps application on their website. Right?

The fact that teams have been able to come up with better methods of finding other teams than the umbrella organization for the competition shows how capable the students and mentors are, but how apprehensive FIRST is.

[Wetzel]

Originally Posted by Nate Laverdure

Move the hosting of Bill's Blog from Blogspot to USFIRST.org. Since content posted there has become part of FRC canon, the blog deserves a home on the FIRST website.

Also, our school district (and I would assume others as well) blog all of Blogger on the school network. Having it on usfirst.org would be nice.

Wetzel

[tsaksa]

Another thing that could help the FIRST site is to have a few main pages for the forums that have more on them. One for the main forum, and one for each sub group that are designed more to push information out and for you than to have you pull it in. When I log into CD and go to a main page I can see a list of recent activity, announcements, image galleries, etc. At a glance I can see what is happening in the world of FIRST. But if the go to the FIRST website I feel like I need to trudge through it and look for specific things.

The main pages that the public hits on are done very well and seem to work this way. But if you go to the forum section you feel like you are reading a dictionary.

[JB987]

How about an easily visible link to web casts for the public on the main home page instead of being buried deep in the FRC events page?