I am pleased to formally announce the launch of the new CoteSaintLuc.org website. The biggest change visitors will notice is the look of the site, which will display nicely on smartphones. The pages are organized somewhat differently but the content is more-or-less identical to the old site. In Phase 2 of the website project, we will add new content, implement A/B testing of pages, and continue tweaking the look and feel to improve things.
In addition to having a cleaner design, our new site is now responsive to mobile phones and tablets. It is also equipped with a custom site search that should increase engagement thanks to live results, control over which result to present, and analytics that inform us about user intention and actions. Another useful feature: results are now presented by the type of content (pages, news, jobs or events), making it easier for visitors to find what they need.
Our website theme also allows us to present content in a variety of ways. You will therefore find pages that use accordions or tabs to present a large amount of information, while other pages favour index and grid-style presentations. Larger text, breadcrumbs and highlighting of principal options — to prevent information overload — are a few more characteristics that should help CSL residents find their way around our city website. Navigation and information architecture have changed and will most likely be tweaked in upcoming months as we examine how people use our new website. We will also add more content and features based on the needs expressed by residents and city departments.
Our Public Affairs and Communications team, headed by Darryl Levine and Regine Banon, built the site in-house, with a bit of help from the outside. Over the last two months, our new Web communications officer Maryse Bézaire has led the effort of moving over content from the old site.
