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We have ended up with a site that the particle physics community has embraced - a great compliment coming from the particle physics community.

- PPUK Outreach Officer.

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1 Challenge

PPUK identified that the existing website had a number of usability and accessibility issues, and was difficult to manage. PPUK needed a solution to upgrade the existing site and incorporate their very specific needs. Objectives for the project were:

  • To build on the information already provided with more information about Particle Physics;
  • To provide a full site search facility;
  • To be easily updated by a remote team of editors in a way that maintains the integrity and quality of the site;
  • To conform to the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG 1.0) set out by the Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI).

2 Process

  • Nomensa conducted an existing site analysis to understand strengths and weaknesses of the existing site’s usability, accessibility, technology and design.
  • Through collaboration of PPUK’s brand requirements, the PPUK corporate identity was completely redesigned. This included a palette of colours, a new logo and then a series of design templates for use on the website that both reflect PPUK's aspirations and provide users with visual cues for navigation and ease of use.
  • Templates coded to international standards that are Triple-A accessible and fully cross-browser compatible were created and integrated into Nomensa's Content Management System; Defacto .
  • PPUK required a search facility on the site, Nomensa integrated an advanced search facility into Defacto and worked with PPUK to ensure the content was well structured so that the search engine used headings, sub-headings and other key page information to provide meaningful results.
  • Training was given to the PPUK web team to ensure that they could fully manage their web site into the future.

3 Outcomes

The upgraded website is striking, easy to navigate and suited to all its diverse audiences. The site now offers more information about particle physics, providing a world-class portal for the scientific, educational and industrial communities. The geographically-spread PPUK web team are now in strong position to manage their highly usable and accessible website into the future.