If you're reading this, it means you'll be seeing our new site design. Several of our members were kind enough to do some testing, but the chances are that some gremlins will have sneaked through so if you do spot any problems do let us know
Why a new design?
Why have we changed things? There were a number of things we wanted to achieve; some of them won't be immediately obvious; perhaps because they are technical changes in the background that will allow us to add extra features in the future. But the main benefits we hope to get are:
General improvement in look-and-feel, and browser support
We've designed and tested the new design to ensure that it works in the most popular browser versions (Firefox, Chrome, IE8+ and limited testing on tablets such as the ipad). Overall, we feel the design will give imutual a more professional look and hence make a better impression with current and prospective members + merchants and other companies that we work with.
Improved home page(s)
Note that there are two very different home pages; one is shown to existing members, whether logged in or not - we detect existing members by looking for an imutual "cookie" that's been stored from a previous visit. There are some general improvements to this page, but the content is broadly the same as before
First-time visitors will get a very different page, which is aimed at helping them to understand the imutual concept and persuading them to join. No doubt there will be further improvements that we can make to this as we go along, but we think this is a major improvement on what was there before and should help us to increase imutual's membership. Perhaps you can help by showing the site to your friends and colleagues and asking them for their feedback
Streamlined sign-up process
Registering at imutual is now quicker and easier. It is no longer necessary to choose a username (until you want to post on the forum); you just need to enter your email address and choose a password. This can be either using the simple form on the home page, or via the sign-up / login pop-up window ("lightbox") which appears when clicking on various links throughout the site (e.g. the join button in the top right corner)
Improved menu and navigation
We've done a lot of work to improve our menu system, making it easier for you to navigate the site and find imutual merchant offers for whatever you're looking for. And whenever you click on to a certain page, you'll get a "breadcrumbs trail" appearing underneath the menu to show you where you are in the site structure. Nothing revolutionary, just what any professional site of this nature ought to have
More information on merchants
When you click on a merchant, you'll notice a different layout and the addition of more "Cashback statistics" (where available), showing the past performance and reliability of a given cashback offer.
There are some other changes throughout the site, which I expect will take our existing members a little time to adjust to. Do explore and let us have your feedback