Updates to internal home page and Ring website

As part of our commitment to improving campus communications, University Communications + Marketing (UC+M) rolled out a refreshed version of the campus internal home page last January. This week, with the help of feedback from nearly 400 faculty and staff over the summer, we're rolling out a new version of the page, with a cleaner layout and a new search function.

The website of the Ring campus newspaper also receives a substantial overhaul this week, to bring the site into the modern era.  

Improvements to the internal home page

Most people said they were pleased with the direction we took with last January's redesign. UC+M also committed to improving it further, making it even more useful for faculty and staff. Over the summer, we collected design and usability feedback via an online survey and in-person testing. We've incorporated that feedback—along with insights from Google Analytics data—into a redesigned page that features a cleaner layout and improved content so you can easily access the information you need to do your job and stay informed on campus news and administrative updates.

The large, image-based billboards at the top of the page will continue to feature high-impact news stories of interest to the campus community. Additionally, there will be more stories highlighting the vital impact of our students, faculty and researchers, as well as stories celebrating the great work of our staff. Major events will also be included in the billboards.

Below the billboards, users will find a new search feature. You can search all UVic web content or use the drop-down menu to search for specific resources, people, departments, experts, news and events.

Top tools, resources and websites are located on the right-hand side of the page (on a desktop computer). This is the fastest way to access many of the online resources you use frequently (e.g. email, FAST, people directory search, the library website, etc.). 

At the centre, the core text area of the new home page is filled with important campus notices, where you’ll find information on the latest UVic initiatives and campus happenings. We plan on adding notices frequently, so scan this section regularly to keep informed.

At the bottom of the page we’ve included a bulleted list of the most recent news (Ring stories and media releases/tips). Important dates & events has been vastly improved as well. Instead of listing all current-day events, this is now a curated list of key academic dates and meetings, holidays and handpicked events of interest to a wide audience.

Thank you to the nearly 400 faculty and staff who contributed to this redesign, through this summer's survey and user testing.

>> Visit the internal home page