SSMU’s new website, designed by Plank Multimedia Inc., is going live this week. The new website boasts many improvements to the old design. The site underwent a substantial makeover back in 2008, but despite improvements, was not as user-friendly as SSMU had initially hoped. Problems included infrequent updates, complex navigation, and weak French content.
Corina Sferdenschi, SSMU Communications and Publications Manager, and the SSMU executive have been working closely on the project over the summer. They are confident that the 2011 redesign will eliminate these problems. “[This new site] is much easier to handle … with regards to putting information online, thus [allowing] me to provide students with the latest information in a matter of minutes,” Sferdenschi said.
A new, professional homepage will enable faster and more efficient navigation. The homepage will include an “easy-to-read-and-understand navigation bar,” featuring drop-down menus—a design that will speed up the search for information.
The website will also more effectively showcase “any important events having to do with campus life and students,” Sferdenschi said. A calendar of events will be on the homepage, which will, if students consult it on a regular basis, help them to stay informed and involved.
Shyam Patel, SSMU’s Vice-President of Finance and Operations, points to the easy-to-use Clubs and Services page. This will incorporate a “section with all the resources and forms that the SSMU clubs need to submit.” These forms may be completed online and sent directly to the Vice-President Internal. This new feature is a welcome change to the old method of emailing the documents to SSMU executives.
Next week, the website’s management team will also be launching Marketplace, “a safe space for students to sell and buy items,” Patel said. Marketplace will begin by selling simple items like textbooks, effectively replacing SSMU’s short-lived Book Bazaar which itself replaced the financially unsound Haven Books. The service will hopefully expand in the future.
Despite all these improvements, bilingualism still remains an issue. In the past, the French website has taken a back seat to the English version, but this year’s website team is committed to a bilingual website. To date, only the English content has been uploaded to the new website. The French content will not be ready for this week’s launch.
“Bilingualism of the website is something SSMU takes very seriously,” Sferdenschi said. SSMU’s translator has already begun working on the French content, and the French website is scheduled to be launched this semester. According to Sferdenschi, French uploads will be faster than before as a result of a newer WordPress platform.
A confident Patel asserts, “The executives are very keen on bilingualism and our new website will make sure to meet the needs of the francophone population.” Time will tell. For now, students can enjoy the advantage of accessing information “through one central point,” according to Patel, and are encouraged to explore the new look and get a feel for the new design.
