As of this morning, the French version of Polytechnique's website boasts a brand-new look. The revamped site features a more streamlined visual organization, new photos and enhanced navigation.

Changes to the website include a more modern typeface as well as an expanded image bank, augmented in part by a February photo shoot involving over 100 students. The home page also highlights various promotional zones and features a more dynamic interface that employs a sophisticated orchestration of multimedia elements.

One of the redesign's main objectives was to optimize navigation. While the content of the menu items remains the same, the information has been reorganized to simplify the search process and facilitate browsing. Key sections of polymtl.ca, including the departments, general information, program lists, research portal, student sections and directory, have been upgraded, with the remaining service and research unit sub-sites to follow suit over time.

Prior to the makeover, a number of design proposals were presented to the Polytechnique community for feedback. On November 11 and 12, 2010, over 200 students and staff members visited the kiosks manned by IT Services and the Communications department. "Each stage of the redesign focused squarely on the user experience," says Polytechnique webmaster Guy-Pierre Boucher,. "We also conducted individual usability tests to help us decide on the most effective navigation mechanisms." He adds: "Changing the look of the thousands of web pages in a portal of this magnitude is a daunting task. I'd like to commend the excellent work of Bénédicte Stordeur, Carl Leduc and Hassen Allegue, whom tackled this challenge superlatively. I'd also like to thank Nathalie Richard from the Communications office for her precious collaboration."

The website's English version is to be updated gradually over the coming months. The project, a joint initiative of IT Services and Communications, is part of an ongoing comprehensive makeover that focuses in particular on content architecture. The last redesign of polymtl.ca was in 2004.