Background
With our extensive experience working with local councils across Aotearoa and our expertise in the Umbraco CMS, we were the perfect choice to develop Queenstown Lakes District Council's new website for their Libraries department. Our approach ensures the retention of existing functionality while introducing significant design and functionality enhancements.
Solution
Queenstown Lakes District Libraries needed a new website to replace their outdated site, a shared website Central Otago District Libraries, built on an old version of the Umbraco CMS.
With the end of life for Umbraco CMS version approaching, Queenstown Lakes District Council Libraries sought a modern, secure and user-friendly website to showcase their events, collections, digital resources and services, alongside maintaining and improving the current functionalities.
Impact
Interactive and modern design
We worked closely with the Queenstown Lakes District Council design team to develop a new Libraries branding kit and style guide for them to carry forward throughout their visual and print channels. We created an engaging, modern design that aligned with their vision.
The new interface is simple, clean, engaging and easy to navigate, ensuring visitors can easily find and understand all that the libraries offer, from the homepage.
Enhanced events section
One of the key enhancements was in the events section. The events section was improved, making it easier to see start and end times of events, filter by dates, browse past events, and see if events are cancelled. This provides a more engaging experience for the community.
Retention of existing functionality
The functionalities of the old website were carefully retained for continuity for regular users. We ensured that the transition to the new site was seamless, with familiar features enhanced for better performance and usability.
Mobile first
Another key improvement was adopting a mobile-first approach for the new Libraries website. Recognising the increasing number of users accessing the site via mobile devices, we prioritised a responsive design that ensures seamless functionality and an optimal user experience on all devices.
This approach not only enhances accessibility for on-the-go users but also aligns with modern web development standards, ensuring the Libraries vast resources, events and services are easily accessible to all community members, regardless of the device they use.
The new Queenstown Lakes Libraries website went live successfully and within budget. The website now features a modern, interactive design that is both simple and accessible.
The enhanced events section has significantly improved user engagement and functionality.
Our redesign of the Queenstown Lakes Libraries website demonstrates our capability to deliver modern, user-friendly and secure web solutions that meet client needs and enhance user engagement. This project showcases our expertise in interactive design, seamless integration and effective project management.
1.
This website covers, 8 libraries across the Queenstown Lakes district
2.
100s of events posted, promoted and hosted each year
3.
During the summer, 120,000+ people visit the district at peak summer and use the libraries services
“We had a few requirements that were relatively complex and the team were great at sourcing various options to fit into our budget, and we were able to make informed decisions about the best way to progress. The end-product is a flexible and customisable website, with a clean and modern design that has been very well received by our team and community.”
