Site refresh seeks to improve ADA compliance, navigation
Submitted by City of Carmel
The City of Carmel on Thursday afternoon unveiled a fresh new look and design of its official city website, carmel.in.gov. The new design promises users an enhanced digital experience that pairs the latest technology with practical applications that make it more accessible for people with disabilities.
New features
- Improved navigation/information architecture that is concise, easy-to-use and intuitive for the end-user. Informed by both qualitative and quantitative data analytics, heatmapping, surveys and user testing.
- Six call-to-action buttons (circular Home Buttons) chosen based on high-traffic webpages for easy, one-click access to information.
- Service Finder and Address Lookup features to quickly find City services and council district information.
- Improved web accessibility in design and programming.
- ADA compliant UserWay widget provides direct link to accessibility tools for a better user experience.
Mayor Jim Brainard said the city’s website is a vital tool in Carmel’s economic development strategy. The information and images used on the website show the high quality of life and the many positive experiences that people are looking for when deciding where to live. The mayor said this helps local business community attract and retain good employees.
Brainard
“It is also so important to be as transparent as possible with city business and all that we do,” Mayor Brainard said. “Our website contains pages and links to thousands of public documents, uploaded and updated throughout the year. We want our residents to have easy access to information that is important to them.”
Developed in partnership with Granicus, the updated website incorporates new best practices and improved ADA compliance. Website analytics concluded that nearly half of website visitors were using a mobile device, reflecting the global trend that people prefer to connect and engage online via mobile phones. The result is a responsive and accessible website design that will allow users streamlined access to key information on the homepage, regardless of device used.
On desktop devices, website users will now find a “sticky” side navigation menu that will always be available no matter how far users scroll down the page. Larger text has been used site-wide to improve reading for all visitors.
Due to this upgrade, visitors to the website should be aware that saved bookmarks and links to carmel.in.gov may no longer work and should be updated. Additionally, search engines such as Google may return broken link errors temporarily. A request has been sent to all search engines to update their links, but it may take a couple weeks before their search results provide accurate links. City officials thank residents and businesses in advance for their patience.