Redesigning the City Website
Dolphia joined the City in 2017, and the very first UX project she did was redesigning cambridgema.gov. Dolphia has worked closely with City Manager’s office to build a website that is WCAG2 compliant, and information is easier to find. The City has noticed a significant drop in calls to the clerk’s office since the website launched.
The goal of this project was to design and develop a website thinking of users first.
Before Dolphia joined, the City of Cambridge had just upgraded the design of the website according to the requirements of the City Manager’s office. The site was not easy to use, and the office has gotten a significant user critique. It was boxy and used many colors to showcase Cambridge’s vibrant image.
Dolphia was hired to think of users first and the bureaucratic process next. She has tirelessly worked on this project and many others in the coming years.
Design Process
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UX Research
Dolphia worked closely with the City Manager’s office to gather requirements using Business Model Canvas and created empathy maps, personas, storyboards, and journey maps after performing in -person user testing.
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Wireframing
Dolphia has created wireframes using Balsamiq. These wireframes were circulated among the development team and the City Manager’s office to finalize the information architecture.
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UI Design
Dolphia uses Sketch and Invision to design the hi-fi prototype.
The design process lasted 9 months, constantly finalizing colors, fonts, etc., and taking user feedback.
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User Testing
In 2017 the City did not have the budget for online testing. Dolphia has conducted multiple user testing at the local library and the city hall. All these inputs were collected and incorporated into the design.
