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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2B, Website Design Discussion i i ,-AVEN HILLS Request for Council Action 2B ............................................... Prepared By: Jill Hutmacher, Community Council Meeting Date: August 20, 2012 Development Director i Website Design Budgeted Amount: Actual Amount: Funding Source: N/A N/A N/A Recommendation: Staff asks the City Council to review the website design. Supporting Documents: 1. Memorandum dated August 20, 2012, from Jill Hutmacher, Community Development Director. 2. Attachment A—Draft City Website Design lt ,- REN�HILLS MEMORANDUM DATE: August 20, 2012 TO: Honorable Mayor and Councilmembers Patrick Klaers, City Administrator FROM: Jill Hutmacher, Community Development Director _JW SUBJECT: Website Design Background On October 10, 2011, the City Council appointed a website ad hoc committee to work on a new City website. On February 27, 2012, the City Council approved a contract with CivicPlus for the design, hosting, and support for a new City website. The project timeline requires the City to approve the final website design no later than September 7, 2012. Design Process On May 29, 2012, staff and the ad hoc committee updated the City Council on the process to- date. At that time, the ad hoc committee described the global navigation(the bar underneath the City logo), the left-hand links, and the right-hand graphic buttons that had been chosen for the website framework. In order to provide design direction, the ad hoc committee provided CivicPlus with design guidelines that reflected the committee's review of many municipal websites. • Photos should occupy no more than 30% of the home page to leave adequate room for text and announcements. • The home page should not require scrolling. Scrolling is discouraged on interior pages. • Photos and graphics should emphasize branding themes of family life, natural areas, and an educated community. • Colors should be primarily dark green and beige, with possibly a warm accent color that would work well with seasonal photos. City of Arden Hills City Council Work Session August 20, 2012 Page 1 of 3 Design Features CivicPlus submitted the first draft of the design to the ad hoc committee on August 2. The ad hoc committee has provided feedback to CivicPlus and reviewed subsequent designs. The ad hoc committee believes that the draft presented to the City Council on August 20 is in near-final form, but is interested in hearing Council comments on the draft design. The draft home page design incorporates the following features: • The "swoop" of the shape surrounding the City name and logo mimics the curvature in the recently approved gateway sign. • The photos on the home page are static with the exception of the slide show frame in the upper right-hand corner. The City can choose approximately 10-12 photos for the slide show. The slide show photos can be changed regularly. • The "canoe family"photo was chosen since it reinforces themes of family life and natural areas. Also, because the photo does not show faces, it is timeless and gives the impression that it could be anyone's family. • A user can toggle between City News, Calendar, or On-line Services. This allows all of this information to be easily accessible on the home page without crowding or cluttering the design. The draft "Help Center" design incorporates the following features: • Quick links to the City's most frequently asked questions and topics of interest. • Graphic buttons for Community Contacts, Sign up for News & Alerts, View Council & Planning Commission Meetings, Volunteer for a Committee or Commission, and Information for New Residents. The draft interior page (i.e., the format for department or topic-specific pages) incorporates the following features: • Graphic buttons for Report a Concern, Notify me, Agendas &Minutes, and Bill Pay. • Left-hand links are department- or topic-specific. • Dedicated space for staff photo and contact information. • Standardized design templates for each interior page. • "Breadcrumbs"that allow easy navigation to higher level pages. • Space for department- or topic-specific news or events. Website Proiect Schedule Following is a review of the remaining website schedule up to the "go live" date. August 20 Council review of website design. Sept 7 Website design finalized. Sept 28 Website content finalized. City of Arden Hills City Council Work Session August 20, 2012 Page 2 of 3 Late Oct Staff training. Nov Staff makes final changes to website and adds any remaining pages. Fri, Dec 7 Website goes live at 5 pm. Staff and ad hoc committee members will be working on a draft website policy which will establish rules for the types of information, links, and graphics that can be posted on the new website. The City Council will be asked to review and approve the policy sometime before the go live date. City staff will also be researching social media policies and related legal issues. The City Council will be asked to review a draft social media policy in October or November. If the City Council chooses, it may be possible to launch City Facebook and Twitter accounts simultaneous to the December 7 "go live" date or shortly thereafter. 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