FIU’s home page to re-launch with new attitude

MIAMI – This weekend the FIU home page will be re-launched as a contemporary, user-centered and dynamic site designed to serve the first-time visitor as well as the daily user.

A core team has worked for more than a year to research, design and launch a site that keeps students as the focus and helps the university communicate its character to prospective students, parents, faculty and staff.

“An institution’s web page is its calling card, a unique opportunity to make a first impression, said Senior Vice President for External Relations Sandra Gonzalez-Levy, who oversaw the redesign process. “This website will clearly communicate the many ways FIU is worlds ahead through its clean design, strategic messaging and vibrant use of images and color.”

The redesign focuses on functionality and includes new content written specifically for the web. One of the key principles behind the re-launch is the relentless focus on the user experience. The new design includes large photographs that take full advantage of our campuses’ esthetics, diversity and geographical location.

“We worked hard to break out of our own organizational structure and focus instead on how people experience FIU,” said Director of Web Communication Matt Herzberger, who led the redesign team. “I’m most proud of the architecture we’ve put in place and the fact that users will find it so much easier and faster to get the information they need.”

One of the unique features of the new site is its ability to track and display the most popular links for any one audience. Over time, this feature will help the university plan for and respond to users’ needs in a more proactive manner, said Herzberger.

The next phase of the re-launch will focus on bringing the same design philosophy to second level pages, such as the home pages of colleges and schools.

For more information on the re-launch project, please visit http://webcomm.fiu.edu or http://newsarchives.fiu.edu/2010/03/fius-new-web-site-part-i-why-the-redesign/

The new design of www.FIU.edu  is expected to go live Friday afternoon.

—FIU—

About FIU:
Florida International University is one of the 25 largest universities in the nation, with nearly 40,000 students. More than 100,000 FIU alumni live and work in South Florida. Its colleges and schools offer more than 200 bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral programs in fields such as engineering, international relations and law. As one of South Florida’s anchor institutions, FIU is worlds ahead in its local and global engagement, finding solutions to the most challenging problems of our time. FIU emphasizes research as a major component of its mission. The opening of the Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine in August 2009 has enhanced the university’s ability to create lasting change through its research initiatives. For more information about FIU, visit http://www.fiu.edu.