McMaster's Web site has a new look and feel. Check it out.

After months of talking to user groups, developing navigation structures, testing proofs and confirming design features, a revamped mcmaster.ca goes live Wednesday, Sept. 25.

The redesign was implemented to enhance McMaster's Web site and give it a consistent look and feel, in an effort to improve the user's experience.

The University's Web project includes the development of templates and a style guide to be used by all departments and faculties. This will ensure the University has a unified look and consistent navigation structure.

The design provides a fresh new look with snapshots of current information and an improved navigation system to help users find what they're looking for easily and quickly.

The new site is the product of the University Web site Steering Committee chaired by Fred A. Hall under the guidance of provost Ken Norrie. With the support of senior management, the committee worked with Cossette Interactive to research the needs of the University's Web site and develop a series of templates to meet the needs of the various user groups. The project also involved the development of a style guide to assist those who create and maintain a Web site within mcmaster.ca. Training sessions are provided to train the trainers' and learn how to apply and build pages with the new templates.

The Steering Committee recently expanded to form the Web site Implementation Committee, co-chaired by Alan Harrison, dean of Social Sciences and Peter Sutherland, dean of Science. Other committee members include Fred A. Hall, Phil Wood, John Drake, Heather Grigg, Dale Schenk, George Granger, Pat Harris and Jayne Johnston. Together they will continue to implement features of the new Web site and encourage consistent use of the new templates by all faculties and departments over the coming year.

“We are proud to launch the new homepage and high level navigation pages that link to all existing sites within mcmaster.ca,” explains Implementation Committee co-chair Alan Harrison. “Over the next year, departments and faculties will apply the new templates as they update their sites and we'll evolve to a consistent navigation and design that will benefit us all.”

“The committee greatly appreciates the input of everyone who participated in the extensive process over the last nine months to create a new McMaster Web site, one that meets the needs of all our various audiences  prospective students, current undergraduate and graduate students, faculty, staff, alumni and community partners,” adds co-chair Peter Sutherland.

The next phase of the Web project will be the introduction of a content management system scheduled to be implemented during the month of January 2003.

Status updates on the Web site redesign project have been provided throughout the process on the Daily News and in the McMaster Review as well as through many personal meetings and presentations by the Steering Committee with various user groups. Information will continue to be shared through these tools as the Committee progresses with the project. Further details about the content management system are expected to be available by the end of October.