I like the new look and feel. I suspect the slight changes in layout are aimed at newcomers which is the way it should be.

Well done Eric & team.

Hi Gavan,

I'm curious, what aspects of the home page do you feel make it better for newcomers than the previous version?

Perhaps, the gigantic banner photo proclaiming "WELCOME TO ORIENTEERING IRELAND" in large "friendly* letters?

On my 27" screen that takes up nearly half the page.

If you want to provide a newcomer-friendly page then the page at https://www.orienteering.ie/frequently-asked-questions/ would make a much better home page. Even on that page most of the pictures look poor (I'm being charitable here) and quite a lot of the key content is off the screen (again on a 27" monitor). The page (in common with the current home page), also focuses on buttons leading to content, rather than actual content.

The picture in the 'How Do I Start' box looks good, but unfortunately it shows highly competitive orienteering which might put some newcomers off, particularly if they have come to the site with a view to investigating orienteering for/with their kids. The lede is problematics as well - "At competitive levels of orienteering...".

The 'What is Orienteering' panel at the top of that page would also be better on the home page. I'm sorry, but no one, especially not a newcomer, cares about the fact that Orienteering Ireland is the NGB. The panel from the FAQ page, up top on the home page, would at least provide some information about what orienteering is, immediately presented to new visitors.

I agree that it's important to cater for newcomers and beginners, but I also think that goal is entirely compatible with catering for existing, established orienteers as well.

Paul

Where is the Ór page? It used to be linked in the menu. Missing other things as well such as rules. 
I struggle with change and so it's hard for me to put a positive spin until I have got used to a new site. It's made worse when functionality is lost.  

I so appreciate all the work behind the scenes that websites demand 👍 

Quite a lot of navigation involved to get to vital things such as Ór or the archive.  Many things are hidden by several steps.  I agree with Paul that the faq would probably make a better home page.

On a personal note, a lot of the video that would still have some relevance today is hidden deep in the site and imho could be used more effectively to promote the sport than in the way it currently is being used.

I’m assuming there was a theme change, which was a good thing as the previous theme that we instigated was definitely out of date and unsupported.

Design wise, it’s cleaner and works well on mobile device and desktop.

Finn