Surprised by our design?
Our website is eco-designed, so its appearance may come as a surprise because it's a far cry from the usual tourism promotion websites. Overall, we're moving away from quite a few of our usual practices because, like many digital players, we're gradually becoming aware of the environmental impact of the web and social networks. And as part of our responsibility, we are trying to minimise our share of digital pollution by reducing data storage and server load.
In designing this site, we have drawn on Frédéric Bordage's book(Ecoconception web: les 115 bonnes pratiques - Eyrolles) and on Green IT guidelines, among other works.
Below are the areas of progress and visible choices we have made to optimise our digital deployment.
Visual simplicity
Three colours, few videos, fewer photos, more light illustrations... these four graphic choices strengthen our visual identity while considerably reducing the "weight" of our pages and, more generally, of our sites...
Dark mode
This is the choice of a predominantly dark background colour, Dark Mode (which has nothing to do with Star Wars). Displaying light colours requires more energy than dark colours. So by choosing a black background, we're saving you energy (on your scale, it's not going to be revolutionary, but for the 500,000 visitors we're expecting it's good for the planet).
Quick access to information
Enabling visitors to easily find the resources they need to enjoy the area or prepare for their visit. We are focusing on communicating a clear message that is directly available on search engines. We optimise what is known as "natural referencing" in the jargon of webmasters.
A site that meets RGAA standards (Bronze grade objective)
For us, eco-design and sustainable development also mean taking all audiences into consideration. That's why our sites are designed to comply with the RGAA (Référentiel Général d'Accessibilité pour les Administrations - General Accessibility Guidelines for Public Authorities) standards, which allow visitors with disabilities to navigate the site. We therefore introduce a range of features to improve visibility (contrasts, for example) or transcribe visuals into audio subtitles.
Essential features
To speed up page loading and minimise the number of 'requests' (more jargon) that require servers in the four corners of the world, we have decided to remove a number of features such as the weather module, interactive chat, systematic geolocation (which is completely under your control), etc.
Responsible hosting
Hosting is the continuous storage and provision of the site's data... it's always complicated to choose an eco-responsible service provider because the heart of this activity is not eco-responsible... But we have chosen an operator who is inventing a new way of working and creating an intelligent, virtuous circle.
Non-programmed obsolescence
Sustainable means... sustainable. That's why we work on the principle that our sites are evolving and can be constantly improved and optimised in line with technological developments and user feedback.
Innovation, sharing knowledge and momentum
We are embarking on this ambitious project as a pioneer... Everyone talks about it and wants it, but few dare to take the plunge... So, at Brive Tourisme, we're going for it, we're testing it out, we'll have successes and failures, but we'll make progress with this paradoxical eco-design approach. We hope to create a dynamic among our colleagues and tourism institutions, and to share our experience...
We're already proud to have taken two agencies on board with us in this approach, to have enabled them to question their methods and to trigger Research and Development into applied eco-design. Immediate boarding with Logitourisme and Laëtis, whom we would like to thank.
And to be totally consistent, at the same time, we're embarking on a fascinating project on the same issues, but with a focus on Social Networks, with an agency at the cutting edge of the field, My Destination.... Stay tuned!
