Redesigning an interactive, user-friendly website for the LPCPL
Among the variety of digital media services Duneland Media provides, website creation, development and design is a team favorite. The creativity involved with creating a functional and visually pleasing site is inspiring. From layout and style to content and coding, the team at Duneland Media truly enjoys the challenge of website creation. You can see samples of our past work.
Recently, our team tackled a HUGE project–the redesign of the website for La Porte County Public Library. The site went live in late October, and the collective excitement (and sighs of relief!) at both Duneland Media and the LPCPL could be heard around La Porte. Here’s an inside look at the project.
The Beginning
The massive undertaking began during the summer of 2018. We met Fonda Owens, Director of the LPCPL, and Kristi Chadderdon, Public Relations, at a La Porte Chamber of Commerce workshop and chatted about their needs. Because the library is an organization of everchanging information, disseminating that information to the public is key. Kristi Chadderdon explains, “Our previous website was clunky, busy and difficult for customers to access the information they needed easily. We needed a more refined website, structured with ease of use in mind for the customer.” A new logo and branding refresh were objectives, too; the library is so much more than books, and one goal of the new site is to highlight all the library has to offer.
The Process
Unlike small businesses or ecommerce sites, the public library site has a multitude of vendors (like Communico, their scheduling program for meeting rooms and the public calendar) that must be seamlessly integrated. The level of complexity required coupled with the importance of easy navigation created a challenge our developers embraced. Frequent meetings and phone calls took place throughout the design process to be sure the library’s vision and goals were met. Trello was used as the access point to illustrate the structure and fill in the page content. “Due to the massive amounts of content that the library needed, there were several members of the staff that played a role in contributing the content,” Chadderdon explained. “Some we were able to pull from the old website, but much of it we wanted to rewrite, reorganize and build upon what we previously had.”
From there, the work was a fluid process with ongoing changes and revisions. Training (like website back-end access) was provided to the library staff, and weekly technical updates continue to keep the finished product working as seamlessly as possible.
The Reveal
The new site went live late October 2019–check it out! Customers have access to an extensive amount of resource information and can now clearly see how much the library offers to La Porte County residents. The library staff is thrilled with all the site offers, but some highlights they think are worth scoping out include
- The Stream & Download section (eBooks, audiobooks and streaming video)
- Library on the Go! apps
- Just for You dropdown menus organized by age group–find age-appropriate classes, homework help, employment readiness resources and more
We also created a video along with the site design to further highlight the library’s services. Head to one of the La Porte County Public Library branches today!
If your website needs a facelift, or you’re curious about working with us for your marketing needs, contact us at Duneland Media at (219) 369-4676 or info@dunelandmedia.com. We look forward to hearing from you!
