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University of Iceland Web Policy

The University of Iceland Web Policy was written by the Division of Marketing and Public Relations and school webmasters at the University of Iceland, in collaboration with the web steering committee, appointed by the rector.   

University of Iceland, September 2023.    

1. University of Iceland Web Policy

The University of Iceland Web Policy applies to all communications on the public website. The public website is hi.is, english.hi.is and related domains, including the school, faculty and study programme webpages. The public University website should meet the needs of all aforementioned units (schools, faculties, study programmes, departments and specialisations) and they are strictly forbidden to manage independent websites beyond the scope of this Web Policy.

All personnel producing material for the University website or social media accounts must comply with the Web Policy. Anyone creating and developing individual webpages must also follow the Web Policy to the letter.   

The cornerstones of the Web Policy are:   

  • Trust and reliability   
  • Service, professionalism and quality   
  • Functionality/uptime and speed   

University of Iceland webpages must always align with the spirit of the University's comprehensive strategy and comply with the law.   

Goal

The goal of the University of Iceland's public website is to:   

  • Provide reliable digital services   
  • Share information about the diverse and important work taking place at the University of Iceland,  
    • e.g. in the fields of teaching, learning, research, innovation, knowledge transfer and public outreach  
  • Attract new students to the University and provide systematic support in selecting study programmes  
  • Ensure that users are able to quickly and easily find all information and services  
  • Increase awareness of the value of the University and demonstrate how its work has a broad societal impact and addresses contemporary challenges   
  • Ensure a uniform, simple and comprehensive user interface in all major devices and browsers  
  • Ensure a uniform appearance for all webpages  

Target groups

The target groups for the public University website are:  

  • prospective, current and former UI students  
  • the media, the government and the private sector  
  • partner institutions, the general public, staff and prospective staff  

Content is tailored to suit different target groups.   

Focuses

Development of University of Iceland webpages must always be based on a detailed assessment of users' needs.  

Focuses are:   

  • Search engine  
  • Study programmes   
  • Research, innovation and societal impact   
  • Public outreach and collaboration with industry   
  • Operations / events / news   
  • Structure of the University   
  • Services  

Appearance - Design and communication

University of Iceland webpages must be consistent with the University Brand Manual. The design should be tailored to users' needs. The content management system should be capable of meeting these requirements.  

Content is presented using a variety of media on the University of Iceland website:  

  • accurate, simple and descriptive text  
  • eye-catching images and  
  • a focus on video content  

The UI logo must be visible at the head of all UI webpages.   

Images  

All images on the website shall be consistent with the Brand Manual. Images should reflect the University community, strategy and values. Photographs used on the University of Iceland website are usually in colour. Graphics must be without text, for reasons of accessibility.  

Accessibility

UI webpages are simple in appearance and function. They are designed for all commonly used devices and browsers. Webpages must be scalable for all commonly used devices.    

Text must be written and formatted with reference to the Brand Manual.  All UI webpages must meet accessibility standards for disabled people. 

Content on University of Iceland webpages must take into account the needs of different groups as far as possible, such as blind people, people with visual impairments, people with dyslexia, and people with other disabilities. 

Response time and uptime

The University of Iceland public website should have extremely reliable functionality and optimal uptime. The same applies to response time.

Rules of procedure and term of validity

In connection with the Web Policy, there are rules of procedure and guidelines that provide further details on implementation as applicable. These can be found in the appendices and the Brand Manual. Anyone producing content for the University of Iceland website must familiarise themselves with the Web Policy.  

The University of Iceland Web Policy has been approved by the University of Iceland webmasters, the web editor, the English language web editor, the director of the Division of Marketing and Public Relations, school webmasters, the web steering committee, and the web council appointed by the rector.   

The Web Policy will be reviewed as necessary on the initiative of the webmaster and the director of the Division of Marketing and Public Relations, in close cooperation with the web steering committee.   

Appendices