Best of Swiss Web Award 2004: swissinfo webfactory awarded first prize in the Design/Usability category for www.swissworld.org

The webfactory of swissinfo/Swiss Radio International (SRI) was awarded first prize in the Design/Usability category for its relaunched site www.swissworld.org. The webfactory is responsible for the administration and development of swissworld.org on behalf of Presence Switzerland (PRS).

www.swissworld.org replaced the former portal Switzerland-in-Sight. The relaunch of November 2003 was commissioned by Peter Fankhauser, head of information products, for Presence Switzerland (PRS). The webfactory has been responsible for the editorial, graphic and technical management of www.swissworld.org for several years. The site provides a broad range of reliable multimedia information about Switzerland in seven languages (English, German, French, Italian, Spanish, Chinese and Russian), A Japanese version is in preparation and its launch is planned for autumn 2004.

www.swissworld.org uses XOBIX, the Content Management System specially developed by swissinfo/SRI for online-media, whose other users include www.swissinfo.org. The strength of the system lies in particular in its seamless integration and administration of multi-media items, support for multi-lingual sites, short publishing cycles and its open modular architecture.

The relaunch team was headed by Tina Hirschbühl and the members were as follows:
Concept: Tina Hirschbühl, Sabrina Visintin
Design: Amy Clark
Technical Implementation: Jeannette Vayloyan, Devaprakash Giretheren

This is the fourth year in which the “Best of Swiss Web Award” has been presented. It is widely respected among internet professionals as standing for high quality, innovative solutions and efficient technology.

The Design/Usability category rewards projects which have been particularly successful in combining complex content and applications in such a way that target users can access them intuitively and in accordance with their needs. The following factors are taken specifically into account:
· Logical structuring of information
· Ease of use (good, rational and intuitive navigation)
· Functionality and interactivity (relevance to target groups)
· Accessibility for all (WAI guidelines)
· Quality of production
· Quality of Help functions
· Logical and pertinent results from the search facilities

The swissinfo Webfactory is a profit centre of swissinfo/Swiss Radio International (SRI). It specialises in building editorially and technically ambitious multilingual digital media productions (Web, DVD/CD-ROM etc).

Links
· www.swissworld.org
· http://www.presence.ch
· www.swissinfo.org
· www.xobix.ch
· http://www.bestofswissweb.ch

For further information, please contact:

Tina Hirschbühl
project leader
swissinfo Webfactory
Giacomettistrasse 1
CH – 3000 Bern 15
Tel. : [phone]
E-mail: [e-mail]


Peter Fankhauser
head of information products
Presence Switzerland PRS
Bundesgasse 32
CH – 3003 Bern
Tel. : [phone]
E-mail: [e-mail]