creating a website citizens will use r22

BETTER WEBSITE SERIES:

CREATING A CITIZEN-

FOCUSED WEBSITE THAT

MAKES GOVERNMENT

EASIER

CONNECTING PEOPLE

www.gulfshoresal.gov www.cityofbrevard.com www.ci.manhattan.ks.us

Deb McNew VP of Professional Services

mcnew@civicplus.com

888.228.2233 x225

Identifying what citizens want

Evaluating your current solution

Ensuring success of the project

Confusing/difficult to navigate

Inaccessible

Time consuming

Inconvenient

of surveyed citizens say their

government website is less

than easy, difficult, or very difficult to use*.

*Digital Disconnect: The Gaps Between Government-to-Citizen Online Interactions visit www.digitalcommunityengagement.com for more info

How Your Citizens Feel

“The City website is a sad, somber site that I only go on

because I have to. With technology being what it is

today, it would be nice to be able to sign my children up

for the various programs and trips that our city offers. I

am a mother of four, always dropping off or picking

someone up from practices. It is hard for me to get to

the Recreation Department during their operating

hours and so I often miss out or have to pay late fees.

Life would be soooo much easier if I could do it

online.”

- Anonymous Resident

Better Communication Convenience of Online Service

Digital interactions cost 80% less than non-digital interactions* Allows citizens and government staff alike to be more productive because they can conduct their government business more conveniently

More convenient methods of payment encourage higher compliance and increased revenue collection

*Accenture’s Digital Citizen Pulse Survey Visit www.accenture.com/us-en/Pages/insight-digital-pulse-survey-summary.aspx for more information

Highly functional

User-friendly

Easily accessible

Easy-to-use

“Dude! This is a very sweet and eye catching site! I have been telling everyone I know to check it out!” – Mammoth Lakes Citizen “… The new website is one of the best county sites I have seen!” – Nassau County Citizen "Dear Webmaster, I am a life-long, 50 year resident of Lucas County. … Today, I found that you have replaced the old website with a NEW, dynamic, colorful, highly functional website that contains a collage of the BEST things Lucas County has to offer. … BRAVO!!!" Our new CivicPlus site took us from an outdated and difficult-to-use website to a vibrant, user-friendly online space for our residents. The process and new system allowed us to revamp our site so that we can provide easy access to information, a better visual identity and opportunities to engage online. Every time someone asks where they can find information, I am so excited to explain how easy it is to use our website!

What Citizens Are Looking For

25%

28%

28%

34%

36%

44%

45%

48%

50%

50%

Search for municipal jobs

Pay parking tickets or fines

Read blogs

Browse business listings

Reserve facilities

Apply for licenses or permits

Provide input on municipal issues

Pay bills or fees

Submit requests or concerns

Register for events

What functionality would citizens most likely use, if offered on their local government website?

Digital Disconnect: The Gaps Between Government-to-Citizen Online Interactions visit www.digitalcommunityengagement.com for more info

What Citizens Are Looking For

If made available, what items would citizens most likely use their local government website to pay for?

66%

61%

57%

51%

49%

Registration Fees

Permits

Utility Bills

Tickets or Fines

Information Requests

Digital Disconnect: The Gaps Between Government-to-Citizen Online Interactions visit www.digitalcommunityengagement.com for more info

The Digital Disconnect

More than half of citizens are unsure about the

basic functionalities their local government

website provides

Digital Disconnect: The Gaps Between Government-to-Citizen Online Interactions visit www.digitalcommunityengagement.com for more info

The Digital Disconnect

Unsure 54%

Yes 20%

No 27%

Are you able to fill out and submit forms through your local government's website?

Unsure 52% Yes

29%

No 19%

Are you able to submit a request or ask a direct question through your local government's website?

Unsure 49%

Yes 24%

No 27%

Are you able to pay for community services through your local government's website?

Top visited pages Pages seldom visited Top searched terms Visit cycles

Which services they were looking for What information they were gathering How do they like to access the information

Make sure you have representatives from IT, Administration, PIO, and any very public facing departments and if possible a community member

This team should be permanent, focus may change, people may rotate in and out, but the team stays

Designate a web specialist in each department

Schedule meetings with stakeholders; citizens, community leaders, business owners, affiliated organizations like the CVB

Identify needs; services, communications, etc.

Create personas and user experiences

Think about the image the community wants to project Consider how design and branding will help meet the organizational goals and strategies Think about how design affects mobile or vice versa How will you drive traffic????

www.southmiamifl.gov www.shawneetownship.com

www.leaguecity.com www.nantucket-ma.gov

Download the Presentation

This presentation is available for download

Visit www.civicplus.com/BetterWebsiteSeries for this presentation

and several others resources.

CivicPlus.com

CONNECTING PEOPLE

Deb McNew

mcnew@civicplus.com

888.228.2233 x225