Thousands of people will do a double-take today when they log onto Metro’s website and discover a major transformation. Information is more useful, more attractive and easier to find, from videos to policy reports, news stories to interactive storytelling maps.
The new look and feel at Oregonmetro.gov represents Metro’s shift toward a modern era of engagement.
"People expect to connect with their regional government anytime, anywhere, from any kind of technology – and they want to have fun doing it,” says Scott Robinson, Metro’s deputy chief operating officer. “I think they’ll love how easy it is to use Metro’s new website.”
One big difference: The site will adapt to whatever device you’re using, whether that’s an Android, an iPad or something yet to be invented. That shift is likely to increase the proportion of visitors who access Metro’s website from a mobile device from just more than a quarter today.
Given Metro’s reach, its website is busy – it attracts more than 900,000 unique visitors per year seeking information about its resources and services. Now, they’ll have a more engaging way to learn about transportation, development, environmental protection, parks, visitor destinations and all the other work Metro does to serve the greater Portland region.
Increasingly, Robinson says, Metro realized its website was behind the times. “The old site and its outdated technology were part of a wagon with wheels about ready to fall off," he said.
The new site, on the other hand, was built using Drupal, an open source development platform widely embraced by government agencies and nonprofits. Technical resources for support, including updates and trouble-shooting advice, are easier to find. The platform refreshes its system every few years to stay current with technological advances.
Not long ago, the Portland Expo Center, Oregon Zoo and Portland’5 Centers for the Arts each switched to the same platform. The Oregon Convention Center is scheduled to begin its move later this year. Sharing a platform allows Metro and its venues to save time and money, solving problems faster and sharing information seamlessly. In technological terms, everyone is speaking the same language.
Now Metro is committed to making the most of its new site, says Jim Middaugh, Metro’s communications director.
"Not everyone has time to show up to public meetings or attend a workshop," Middaugh said. "More and more, people are looking for opportunities to weigh in on decisions and get access to information and services online."
The new site will host open houses that engage people in public projects and policy decisions with surveys, timelines, maps, videos, graphics and discussion forums. A tools for living section offers easy access to more than 300 quick tips and tools on everything from recycling to gardening to getting around. Interactive tools and storytelling maps help people connect to resources and opportunities and learn about public investments across the region.
Metro intends to elevate the most timely and useful content on the revamped site and feature more informative stories and photographs that will be curated seasonally based on topic. Each page will also have bolder, more striking visual navigation cues and use common sense language for clarity.
Additionally, the new website has been designed to make sure content is readily accessible to the hearing and visually impaired. The new site will also improve access for foreign language speakers, with key pages readable in as many as 13 languages. There is a special emphasis on meeting the needs of the region’s growing population of Spanish, Chinese, Vietnamese and Russian speakers.
“The region is growing and changing,” said Martha Bennett, Metro’s chief operating officer. “Now Metro’s website is ready to meet Oregonians where they are.”