Morris, Minnesota, is a small prairie town with big-city culture. It is surrounded by some of the richest agricultural lands in the country, home to the largest dairy milking operation in Minnesota, beef feedlots and swine producers, manufacturing, and healthcare industries.
Morris is home to the University of Minnesota Morris (UMM), part of the University of Minnesota system. The campus is ranked as a “Top 10 Public Liberal Arts College.”
The City of Morris had not made significant changes to its website since 2007, so the design was out-dated, to say the least. In addition, the existing website was not mobile-friendly, and had no way to communicate news, announcements or events to website visitors.
There were several forms available for download as PDF or Word Documents on the city’s website, but there was no way to submit those forms via the website. Instead, they would have to be printed and filled out manually and then returned to the City office.
One of the biggest weakness identified by city council members and the staff was the difficulty in updating the website. City staff had no way to perform updates to the website themselves, which increased the cost of maintaining the website.
Our design staff reorganized the website entirely. The new design features a prominent location for quick announcements, as well as a news section for longer articles.
We created a Mega Menu that divides the content into logical categories for users so that specific individuals can access pages within the site that are just for them. For example, there is a section for business owners with permits and applications and a section for community members with parks and transportation information.
Since the new website was build with WordPress, it is easy for departmental staff to update website content themselves, adding job postings, council minutes and news articles.
The City of Morris now has a redesigned website that acts as a communication and resource hub for residents. Morris residents can visit the city’s website and easily find information about trash collection, recycling, city ordinances, snow emergencies and parking policies, events, and much more. This information is easily accessible on smartphones, tablets, and desktop computers.
Are your customers having a hard time finding the information they are looking for?
Contact Iceberg Web Design to learn how we can use your website to create lasting relationships with your customers.
