At the first stage of our web renewal we launched the new English homepage and the new Admissions and Studies pages. The other English pages will be published later this year. Until then, our old pages are still in use.

The new website is in line with our new visual identity. The new brand color, turquoise, signifies our Arctic profile and Northern location.

Concurrently with our new website, we published the LaCRIS research portal – a collection of information on our researchers, experts, projects, and publications.

Focusing on website users

Our new website aims to provide essential and up-to-date information for our web users in an approachable manner. The pages are now displayed correctly on all mobile devices. Website users increasingly access our pages through mobile devices, and this is taken into account when planning and constructing the new site.

In addition, page navigation now works in a new way: the main menu has a pull-down function through which you can directly reach the subpages. The unit pages and various other pages will also have their menus under the large main picture of the page.

The contents are grouped into columns with horizontal orientation, but when you have a narrow screen they are grouped on top of each other. At the beginning of the Studies pages we have gathered together some of the most common study tools, such as e-mail, WebOodi, e-mail, and library collections. You can also access the systems through the turquoise icons at the top of each page. There are also other functional icons on the site, and in the future there will be more information graphics that visualize our processes.

The work continues

The renewal process began last November with a focus on the Finnish website. More than a hundred staff members from different departments have been involved in the process. In as many as 30 working groups, they have considered what is essential information for their students, partners, and service users. Moreover, they have also come up with new types of data presentation.

Content production and the information architecture are coordinated by Communications Specialist Sari Väyrynen and Web Coordinator Markku Kontio from the University’s Communications Unit. Their work has been supported by Communications Specialist Rita Junes. The site’s visual layout has been designed by Graphic Designer Irma Varrio, also from the University’s Communications Unit, with the support of Graphic Designer Reetta Linna and Development Manager Tarja Helala. UX Designer Thomas Vuollo from Tietotalo InfoCenter Ltd. has tailored the web content management system InfoWeb for our needs. The LaCRIS research portal project has been coordinated by Information Specialist Liisa Hallikainen from the University Library.

During the rest of this year the missing English pages will be constructed and the already published pages will be developed further.

More information:

Web Coordinator Markku Kontio, tel. +358 40 513 4950
Communications Specialist Sari Väyrynen, tel. +358 40 571 1960
e-mail: firstname.lastname (at) ulapland.fi