Sunnybrook.ca gets a new look

Sunnybrook is getting ready to launch a new look and feel for its public website, including a sleek new homepage, subtle design changes and simpler navigation.

The hospital's homepage is the first point of entry for roughly 60% of our web visitors, which highlights the importance of making a strong first impression. The new homepage is less cluttered, with the goal of making it easier to find information.

Although gradual tweaks have been made to the website's design over the years, this is the first major redesign since 2008. The project was handled by the hospital's web team, with input from key stakeholders. The redesign was tested through focus groups to get feedback prior to launch. We welcome additional comments at webmaster@sunnybrook.ca.

Sunnybrook is a leader in web communications, with a social media presence recognized by Accreditation Canada and the most-watched YouTube channel among Canadian hospitals. Sunnybrook is among a select group of Canadian hospitals to have a website optimized for mobile devices.

Highlights of the new look

New homepage

Large rotating image banner to highlight key messages.

New “Quick Links” section provides easy access to some of the most-viewed areas of the website.

New “Expert Health Tips” section features our timely health information blog, vetted by Sunnybrook experts.

Less clutter means it’s easier to get the information you need.

New Education tab

As a leading academic health sciences centre, our Education program has been added as a top navigation tab, alongside our Sunnybrook Foundation and Sunnybrook Research Institute tabs.

Improved accessibility

With Ontario accessibility standards in mind, colour contrasts, fonts and navigation items have been carefully chosen to make the hospital website accessible to all.

Navigation menu

A few changes have been made to simplify the primary drop-down menus:

• The top-level menu has been reduced from 8 to 6 items on the hospital site.

• The menu now features a new content area to highlight important messages.

• The menu now displays one level of sub-pages, rather than two. This helps to reduce the clutter and avoids having our visitors sort through an overwhelming amount of links.

New Your Health Matters blog site

The recently launched sub-site consolidates all of Sunnybrook’s health blogs, providing general health information from Sunnybrook experts.

The health information blog includes:

• An assortment of health tips and information

• Slideshows and videos

• Featured blogs: Personal Health Navigator, Sunnyview, Sunnybrook Says, Earth Matters, Education Matters, Inside the NICU and more