- Easier access to information and (meta)data:
- Simpler header navigation & menus<\/strong>: with the help of our testers, all of doaj.org\u2019s pages have been reorganised into fewer top-level sections and categories,\u00a0within a flatter content hierarchy. This means fewer clicks to get to what you\u2019re looking for.<\/li><\/ul>
- Comprehensive technical documentation<\/strong>: we brought together all DOAJ-related docs regarding OAI-PMH, API, OpenURL, our widgets, and the public data dump for developers and publishers to access and use our data.<\/li>
- More complete support for applicants<\/strong>: a revised, comprehensive, and continually-evolving guide to applying, based on our new application form.<\/li>
- Responsive and mobile-friendly user interface<\/strong>: we have tested it on iPhone &\u00a0Android devices, Chrome, Edge, Firefox, & Safari, as well as MacOS, Linux, & Windows.\u00a0
<\/li><\/ul><\/li>- A completely new and streamlined application process:
- Simpler form interface<\/strong>: we broke down questions into sections and added more contextual links and menus for navigating the form.<\/li>
- Simpler language<\/strong>: we reworked all questions and help text into simple English.<\/li>
- \u201cReview your answers\u201d page<\/strong>: applicants now have the ability to see a summary of their answers before submitting their application.<\/li>
- Application drafts and saving progress<\/strong>: we now require applicants to create an account but this allows them to save their progress and return to their drafts if they\u2019re unable to complete it in one session.<\/li>
- Auto-saving<\/strong>: applicants won\u2019t need to worry about losing their progress if they forget to save it.
<\/li><\/ul><\/li>- A cleaner and more focussed search experience:
- One search tool per document type<\/strong>: we realised users looking for journals are not necessarily the same that are looking for articles, so we split them up into two distinct search tools.<\/li>
- Streamlined\u00a0searching by subject<\/strong>:\u00a0we added an autocomplete \u201cSearch by Subject Name\u201d field within the Subject filter, so you don\u2019t have to sift through thousands of results that are not relevant to your interests.<\/li>
- \u201cOR\u201d instead of \u201cAND\u201d booleans for filters<\/strong>: multiple filters in a query are linked by an OR<\/em> boolean instead of AND<\/em> for improved precision & recall in your search results.
- This also brings the tool more in line with standard search experiences we\u2019ve researched and observed on other successful search engines.<\/li><\/ul><\/li>
- \u201cQuick search\u201d for immediate search tool access<\/strong>: you can move quickly from viewing a journal to finding more in one click, from the top of every page. <\/li>
- Simpler journal and article layout<\/strong>: we revised the content of these pages to highlight key metadata and help users find other relevant journals or articles.<\/li>
- Enriched data and integration with external services<\/strong>: we\u2019ve added the Dimensions Badge<\/a> to articles that have both a DOI and at least one citation tracked by Dimensions.
<\/li><\/ul><\/li>- Greater transparency:
- More information about our team and our funding<\/strong>:
- We highlight all of the people that make DOAJ possible and also took the time to learn more about our volunteers and showcase their contributions.<\/li>
- We clarified our funding sources and the various ways institutions can support us.<\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul>
- A better guide to applying<\/strong>: applicants can learn about what\u2019s required to be accepted, our editorial process, and steps to take if a journal has been rejected.<\/li>
- A clear and straightforward accessibility statement<\/strong> specifying which sections of the site are not accessible to users with screen readers (but we\u2019re working on making them accessible).<\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/doajournals.files.wordpress.com\/2020\/11\/86af3901b7dfde3eb556d48e7c359aab.gif?w=237\")
<\/a>The search tool\u2019s new subject filter<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n Please note that we will accept feedback via the Hotjar widget at the bottom of the page and continue to improve these features after the launch. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
What\u2019s next? What we are continuing to work on after the launch: <\/h2>\n\n\n\n
- More efficient journal processing on the editorial side:
- We are planning on improving the current editorial workflow UI for our publishers, editorial, and administrative staff.
- This includes, amongst other features, a complete overhaul of the search tool to reflect the public site\u2019s search as well as a revision of the layout for application reviews. <\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/li>
- Better integration with other online services:
- Easier article and journal sharing via e-mail or social media.<\/li>
- Asynchronous checking of external databases, such as ISSN, Crossref, and ORCiD for more robust data.<\/li>
- Improved metadata discovery, including Google Scholar tags. <\/li><\/ul><\/li>
- Better site performance and page-loading speeds:
- Some of the new changes need to be fine-tuned so that they can load faster and more efficiently for everyone.<\/li><\/ul><\/li>
- Exploration of potential new journal & article search features:
- Auto-complete searching within Countries, Languages, and Publisher Name filters, as with the new Subject filter.<\/li>
- More filtering and\/or sorting options.<\/li>
- Journal and\/or article suggestions.<\/li>
- Data visualisations, if useful and possible.<\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n
Finally, I would like to say thank you to our testers for their time and for making this redesign possible. Again, this is just a first but significant step for a more sustainable and functional platform for users, publishers, and editors. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
- We are planning on improving the current editorial workflow UI for our publishers, editorial, and administrative staff.
- A clear and straightforward accessibility statement<\/strong> specifying which sections of the site are not accessible to users with screen readers (but we\u2019re working on making them accessible).<\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n
- A better guide to applying<\/strong>: applicants can learn about what\u2019s required to be accepted, our editorial process, and steps to take if a journal has been rejected.<\/li>
- Simpler journal and article layout<\/strong>: we revised the content of these pages to highlight key metadata and help users find other relevant journals or articles.<\/li>
- Streamlined\u00a0searching by subject<\/strong>:\u00a0we added an autocomplete \u201cSearch by Subject Name\u201d field within the Subject filter, so you don\u2019t have to sift through thousands of results that are not relevant to your interests.<\/li>
- Simpler language<\/strong>: we reworked all questions and help text into simple English.<\/li>
- More complete support for applicants<\/strong>: a revised, comprehensive, and continually-evolving guide to applying, based on our new application form.<\/li>
- Comprehensive technical documentation<\/strong>: we brought together all DOAJ-related docs regarding OAI-PMH, API, OpenURL, our widgets, and the public data dump for developers and publishers to access and use our data.<\/li>
- Simpler header navigation & menus<\/strong>: with the help of our testers, all of doaj.org\u2019s pages have been reorganised into fewer top-level sections and categories,\u00a0within a flatter content hierarchy. This means fewer clicks to get to what you\u2019re looking for.<\/li><\/ul>