parksandrecreation.idaho.gov
Project Overview
The Idaho Department of Parks and Recreation (IDPR) was in need of an updated, responsive WordPress website. The website needed to follow the State website standards, meet all accessibility requirements, and provide the IDPR staff easier ways to update and maintain the website.
My Contributions
Researcher, Designer, Project Manager, Developer, User-Testing
Timeframe
Research & Planning
In early 2020, Idaho Department of Parks and Recreation (IDPR) reached out for assistance with their website. I conducted audits on the analytics, worked with the department to determine overall project goals based on their answers to the website design questionnaire ( see example questionnaire) I created. Once we had a good understand of what they were looking for in the new website, I began homepage mockups in Sketch.
First, I presented them with 3 options for the homepage, as seen below, and from feedback we decided on the final homepage version.
From the homepage mockup, we moved to interior page mockups, first focusing on the park pages. Each park page needed its own sub menu, park specific events feed, Facebook feed, and park video. I presented various layout options as pictured to the below.
Development
Development on the IDPR WordPress subtheme began in February 2020. Myself and a front end developer built out the theme, migrated the content, and kept the department updated with bi-weekly progress meetings. To keep everyone on track and easily allow multiple people to review, note changes or approvals, we used a google sheet to keep track of the project.
The website was built to utilize custom taxonomy for parks and activities which all play a part in the new Find a Park page to help users filter the various options. Custom post types, templates, and Pods integrations were also built for the new website.
User Testing
As the website neared completion, I conducted remote user testing sessions on the new website. I worked with IDPR staff and the analytics to determine which tasks for the users to complete during the test. We completed 2 rounds of user testing, with the second round focusing more on public/external volunteers that were not as familiar with the department. The user testing and focus groups provided important feedback on improving the user experience and optimizing site design before it was launched.
