Having worked with Brisbane City Council (BCC) since 2013, we were perfectly placed to help them upgrade their website on Drupal. This project was designed to work alongside a complete redesign, with speed also a key consideration. Whilst hitting timelines, we were able to help them achieve the intuitively designed site they needed using a phased approach. The end result was a site that provided enhanced options for user interaction with BCC.
Highlights
- Site migration
- Site redesign
- Search and social media integration
- Ongoing development and support
About the Client
Brisbane is the largest local government in Australia with 26 wards and 27 councillor positions. Brisbane City Council’s role is to guide the city’s future growth and development.
The Solutions:
Site migration and upgrade
During our first project together in 2013, we migrated the existing Brisbane City Council (BCC) site structure, design and content into Drupal. Using agile development practices, we helped BCC focus on re-launching within the minimum possible time frame. This was all achieved in under eight weeks.
In 2018, we provided a dedicated team to manage the migration of BCC’s site from Drupal 7 to 8.
Site redesign
Following the launch of the upgraded Drupal site, we took a collaborative approach to the design process. Working with various design agencies, BCC pulled components from a selection of concepts to produce the master design they wanted to implement.
Search and social media integration
As part of the user experience strategy, BCC were keen to make search and social media more prominent on their site. Their aim was to use these streams to leverage content and deepen their interactions with users.
During the redesign phase, we strategically integrated social media into the site. Stackla was identified as the best option to use on the homepage. This allowed us to create feeds from BCC’s own channels on YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram.
Development
Since 2019, we have conducted both major and minor enhancements to the BCC Drupal 8 site.
These have included:
- Event search and detail page improvements.
- A range of granular map functionality improvements that allow editors to create and manage map experiences. This has included adding layers, customising the pin, upgraded admin controls and filters for specific facets. We were also able to add improvements to the map layout, table and pop-up.
- A flexible timeline block for project pages (to visually present processes, stages, and phases).
Brisbane City Council also asked us to work on their Local Government Toolbox (LGTB). Alongside their dedicated LGTB web team, we ran discovery, development sprints and supported the team with long-term website maintenance and enhancements.
Hosting
BCC chose to host the Local Government Toolbox on Skpr, our own internal hosting platform - purpose-built for Australian Government Drupal websites.
Ongoing support
Following the initial website project in 2014, we were able to continue providing support and enhancements to the BCC website.
The Results:
By taking an agile approach, Brisbane City Council achieved a new Drupal site within 9 months. The result was a clean, appealing design that encouraged visitors to interact with the Council - whilst showcasing and celebrating everything wonderful about the city.