Since May 2015, Düsseldorf University of Applied Sciences (FH D) has borne its new name Hochschule Düsseldorf (HSD). The renaming and the simultaneous relocation of the university to a new campus were accompanied by the introduction of a new, innovative corporate design. The aim of the university’s central web relaunch project group was to design an associated website in line with the new visual identity. Information should now be centrally available to all interest groups. The project was technically implemented by Alight on the basis of Microsoft SharePoint Publishing.
For a modern university website that provides users with a common basis for information, a primarily representative structure and intuitive operation are ideal. Even though almost all content is publicly accessible, there are also protected areas for internal university users and external users. The idea of the new website immediately met with a positive response. The focus was on simpler, self-sufficient configurability and the user-friendly presentation of information in the new university-specific design, which runs through all pages. The introduction of the new website is constantly being enriched with new ideas by the university with the support of Alight.
I am pleased that the structural, design, and technical implementation of the new HSD websites has worked so smoothly, and we now have an innovative, contemporary web presence that reflects the modernity and innovative spirit of the university against the backdrop of the new corporate design and our new location.
Loretta Salvagno
Vice President for Economic and Human Resources Management at HSD
The website consists of several areas and each organisational unit can administer these independently. The university attaches great importance to quick orientation and easy information search. The individual departments are listed as headers with their acronyms in the university design and current news. Each department lists the latest and department-specific information and events.
The university logo takes the user back to the university homepage at any time. This is divided into four sections, consisting of general information about the university, departments, study & teaching and research & transfer. Each page has a search function, quick links and a help function. The website is rounded off by personal profile pages for individuals, including their department, responsibilities and contact details. These are designed to make it easier to find university staff. The profiles are synchronised daily with the central user administration and can be enriched with additional personal data in the customised form. The search and filter function allows users to search for content from different departments and central institutions. This makes it possible to list people, research activities, degree programmes and messages across departments. Thanks to sophisticated configuration options, individual pages can also be displayed as list views for customised purposes. Visual effects are achieved through slideshows and videos in the page background as well as image galleries. The university’s website is available in German and English. Mobile access with all functionalities is guaranteed.
After completing this exciting project, I’m particularly thrilled that SharePoint has turned out to be such an impressive responsive solution
Dr. Sabine Rathmayer
IT project lead
