UIC website wins the Chicago IABC's Spectra Award

The new website for the University of Illinois at Chicago, designed by OJC Technologies, has earned the Spectra Award for excellence in communication from the Chicago chapter of the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC).

Kimberly Baxa, the Coordinator of Web Communications for the Office of Public Affairs at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC), was presented with the award at the Spectra Awards Ceremony, held May 21, 2002 at the Chicago Hilton and Towers. Rachel Urbanowicz, OJC's lead graphic designer for the site, was also in attendance.

The IABC Spectra awards are given for excellence in communication in the greater Chicago area. The Chicago chapter of IABC is the largest in the nation. The UIC website won in the category of large-scale design.

OJC worked closely with UIC for ten months in the site redesign process. OJC began by meeting with the various stakeholders for the site, gathering requirements, and conducting user surveys. OJC's programmers analyzed the site architecture, using code which effectively listed all of the hundreds of pages and links within the UIC web; this data was used in OJC's information architecture work on the project. Using this combination of client needs assessment and technical savvy, combined with effective marketing design, OJC and UIC built an appealing, easy-to-use website that serves as both a recruitment tool for prospective students and as a valuable information resource for current students, faculty, staff, and other users. Additionally, OJC designed this site in accordance with newly-established UIC identity guidelines, and as a result has helped set a standard for future web development in other UIC departments.

The UIC website URL is www.uic.edu.

Contact: Lori Patterson, 217-278-3933

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