NASA revamps web site: interactive agency Critical Mass completes overhaul of www.nasa.gov

EDP Weekly's IT Monitor, June 23, 2003

NASA has introduced a revamped version of its web site (www.nasa.gov) to enhance understanding of the agency's contributions to everyday life.

The new NASA web site was created in February as a joint effort between Critical Mass of Chicago, an interactive firm that serves numerous global brands, and eTouch of Pasadena. It is a single portal that draws upon 2,922 NASA-related web sites and 4 million pages of information.

Additional elements have now been put in place that will make the site easier to navigate and permit it to offer enriched, user-focused content. These enhancements are expected to provide particular value now that NASA has launched its Mars Exploration Rovers. The previous Mars mission, Pathfinder, attracted 750 million hits during the six months from launch to landing, making it one of the most visited events on the web in its time. The Mars Exploration Rovers, which will search for water on the planet's surface among other tasks, may attract many times more visitors to the site immediately after landing in January 2004.

The new NASA Home Page (www.nasa.gov) debuted only three weeks after Critical Mass and eTouch began work. Among the most significant changes were the creation of interactive features designed to appeal to children, students, educators and the general public. The site has sections that focus on NASA's programs to understand the Earth, explore the Universe and advance aeronautics research. These features, which will now contain even more information, will help NASA connect with a wider audience.

NASA and Critical Mass are employing a web strategy that aims to provide the public with content tailored to its interests; inspire young people by giving them a rewarding on-line experience; and involve the public by providing an outlet through which it could become directly involved with the agency.

The new NASA portal represents a major reorientation of the NASA brand. "The goal of the Critical Mass/NASA team is to enable the web site to re-ignite the public's passion for NASA," says Jerry Johnston, CEO of Critical Mass. "With vivid pictures and surprising information about the array of applications that have been made possible by NASA discoveries, the agency will achieve its full communications potential by means of its web site."

As a leading proponent of "customer experience management," Critical Mass will have succeeded, says Johnston, "If we transport visitors into a multi-media environment, encourage journeys of personal discovery and learning, and empower the public to become involved through such features as interactive games and NASA Connect e-mail."

Critical Mass, an interactive firm and a leader in Customer Experience Management, develops Web sites and marketing campaigns for some of the most admired brands in the world, including Mercedes-Benz, Dell, Procter & Gamble, Hyatt Hotels, Nike and others. The company has offices in Chicago, New York, Austin, Las Vegas, Calgary and Stockholm.