Sector(s)

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Organizations Involved

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.

About the project

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.

  1. Enhanced User Experience: Designing a new layout that would improve navigation and accessibility while incorporating department-specific branding.
  2. Repurposing Existing Features: Integrating and updating existing functionalities into the new design without disrupting the current system.
  3. 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.

  1. 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.
  2. Department-Specific Branding: Implemented flexible branding options that allow each department to personalize their section of the website.
  3. Enhanced Editorial Flexibility: Enabled the editorial team to easily update theme sections and manage content without technical assistance.
  4. Responsive Design Features: Created a mobile-responsive design that allows editors to toggle between different menu colors and layouts optimized for various devices.
  5. 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

  1. 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.
  2. Increased Marketing Capabilities: Enhanced marketing tools within the website allow for better promotion of city services and events, helping to increase public engagement.
  3. 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.