Sector(s)
City of Hamilton engaged OPTASY to enhance the official municipal website by developing a new service landing page and a content page. This project aimed to improve the city's online presence by refining the website's design and functionality to support more effective marketing and service communication.
Describe the project (goals, requirements and outcome)
Goals & Challenges
The City of Hamilton sought to create a more engaging and user-friendly website that accurately represents the services and cultural opportunities available to residents and visitors.
- Enhanced User Experience: Designing a new layout that would improve navigation and accessibility while incorporating department-specific branding.
- Repurposing Existing Features: Integrating and updating existing functionalities into the new design without disrupting the current system.
- Mobile Accessibility: Ensuring the new pages are fully responsive and provide a seamless experience on mobile devices.
Approach & Solutions
OPTASY focused on creating a cohesive and intuitive design that enhances user interactions and simplifies content management for city staff.
- New Landing and Content Pages: Developed and themed a new landing page that lists all city departments (like Cemeteries, Museums) with a layout that integrates with the existing website while introducing fresh visual elements.
- Department-Specific Branding: Implemented flexible branding options that allow each department to personalize their section of the website.
- Enhanced Editorial Flexibility: Enabled the editorial team to easily update theme sections and manage content without technical assistance.
- Responsive Design Features: Created a mobile-responsive design that allows editors to toggle between different menu colors and layouts optimized for various devices.
- Dynamic Functionality: Added new functionalities that allow the header to collapse and trigger a new page layout tailored to specific department needs, enhancing the overall user interface.
Results & Key Achievements
- Improved Site Aesthetics and Functionality: The new landing and content pages provide a visually appealing and more functional alternative to the previous website design, making city services more accessible.
- Increased Marketing Capabilities: Enhanced marketing tools within the website allow for better promotion of city services and events, helping to increase public engagement.
- Streamlined Content Management: The Drupal platform has empowered city staff with greater control over content updates, significantly simplifying the process of maintaining up-to-date and relevant information.
Why Drupal was chosen
- Flexibility: Drupal's flexibility allows for extensive customization, necessary for integrating various city department-specific functionalities.
- Scalability: Drupal can handle the growing content and user demands of a municipal website, ensuring the site remains efficient and accessible.
- Ease of Content Management: Drupal's robust content management system enables city staff to update and manage the website efficiently, aligning with the need for frequent content revisions and additions.
