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ATU Website Shortlisted for Spider Award for Best UX & Customer Experience
Atlantic Technological University (ATU) has been shortlisted for the Best UX & Customer Experience award at the 28th annual Spider Awards.
Atlantic Technological University (ATU) has been shortlisted for the Best UX & Customer Experience award at the 28th annual Spider Awards. The Spider Awards, often referred to as the “Oscars of the Irish digital industry,” are judged by a panel of industry leaders and celebrate outstanding digital innovation.
ATU’s nomination for Best UX & Customer Experience places its new website among Ireland’s top online experiences for users.
The new ATU.ie website replaces the interim platform and consolidates five separate web properties into one seamless digital presence. Designed with user experience at its core, the website offers an intuitive interface that simplifies access to ATU’s extensive educational offerings.
With over 800 courses, including undergraduate and postgraduate programmes, apprenticeships, micro-credentials, and online and flexible learning, the website serves as a one-stop hub for prospective and current students. It also provides essential information on support services, research and innovation, international engagement, latest news and events.
Speaking about the nomination, Karen Smyth, Marketing Officer at ATU, said: “Being shortlisted for this award is a great honour for the university and highlights the work that went into designing a website that meets the diverse needs of our students and staff. We wanted to create a platform that reflects ATU’s innovative spirit while ensuring that information is easily accessible, engaging, and user-friendly.”
From prospective students seeking course details to researchers exploring innovation opportunities, ATU.ie ensures streamlined access to relevant content. A major enhancement is its responsive design, optimised for desktop and mobile users alike, ensuring a seamless experience across all devices.
Designed with accessibility in mind, ATU.ie aims to meet the WCAG 2.2 AA standards, ensuring inclusivity for all users, including those relying on assistive technologies. Dan Jones, ATU Website Manager, highlighted the significance of this approach: “User experience is more than just aesthetics—it’s about functionality, accessibility, and performance. We’ve prioritised accessibility features such as high colour contrast, keyboard-friendly navigation and a responsive design allowing users to zoom without distorting the web page. This ensures that every visitor can engage with our content effectively.”
Performance metrics reinforce the site’s effectiveness. ATU.ie has achieved a 98/100 score for speed and responsiveness, ensuring fast loading times and an optimised browsing experience. With high scores in accessibility (96), best practices (85), and SEO (96), the website not only provides a visually appealing interface but also ranks well in search engines, making information easily discoverable.
Louise Forbes, Managing Director of Simply Zesty added: “Working alongside Dan and the ATU team over the past year has been an exciting and rewarding journey. We embraced the challenge presented by ATU and crafted an innovative digital solution that puts both the students and the university at its heart. Being shortlisted as a finalist by the Spiders Awards is a testament to the hard work and strong collaborative spirit we share with ATU. We’re excited to continue developing this product and amplifying its positive impact moving forward.”
The winners will be announced at the Spider Awards in the Mansion House, Dublin, this Friday 21 March.
Photo Caption: Jason Riahi (Head of Commercial at Zesty), Karen Smyth (ATU Marketing Officer), Daniel Jones (ATU Website Manager), Catherine Eldridge (Account Executive at Zesty), Louise Forbes (Managing Director at Zesty) and Holly Clemens (Account Director at Zesty).
