Web Redesign for Philadelphia
Please find under a summary covering project details and feedback. The innate facts are kept as they are, private information is amended.
Introductory information
A fast induction on the buyer’s organisation
The organisation is a government agency. I’m responsible for ensuring yielding with our multiple stormwater permits with the state and the federal government.
Desired goal
What challenge were you trying to address with The Tactile Group?
We needed to update a programmatic web page as part of a regulatory update in July 2015. We had a antecedent web developer but it wasn’t veritably their specialty.
Provided solution
What particular tasks were The Tactile Group responsible for?
Our antecedent website had a tool where developers could yield their projects and programs to us online. We liked that type of technology and functionality, so that was a requirement our new website had to have. The Tactile Group was able to take that approach and enhance upon it a pliant bit. We did some centre groups to help us with the design of the website. We were able to make the application use logic. Depending on what an applicant filled out, we would ask true questions. We were able to get that functionality with the new website, which was big.
We antecedently had a PDF design manual that included all the sizing specifications and general direction for how to meet the regulatory requirements. We needed to update that with the new standards associated with the update. They were able to have the full be a part of the CMS [full treatment method], ExpressionEngine, for the website as opposed to having the rise information be stored in whichever a Word document or an Adobe InDesign file. What they created was an online rendering of our manual that could be downloaded to a PDF. I reflection it was a pretty sole approach where the developed rise of the full is veritably housed in the CMS itself. When we looked almost nationally, nobody had veritably taken that approach to date.
We were the leading to take this approach with our direction manual as a web rerise like this. Almost all stormwater programs athwart the country have these manuals to articulate the requirements. The status quo to date has veritably been a static PDF usually done with Adobe InDesign or something of that kind. For that specific piece, I would say to the best of our apprehension, we were the leading in the nation to do that.
How did you come to work with The Tactile Group?
The Tactile Group was a sub-consultant on an engineering contract that was helping us with some of the technical specifications of the regulatory change. The regulatory change was kindred to land outgrowth projects having to handle stormwater on their properties. There was a lot of technical engineering that went into some of the sizing requirements and such associated with the regulatory update. As part of that contract, we needed technical engineering services and outreach services to adjoin the changes to the Philadelphia outgrowth aggregation.
What is the terminal result of working with The Tactile Group?
We began working with them in June 2014 and the website propeled July 2015. The propel had to be coordinated with our requirements when in locate, so that’s when we rolled out the new requirements as well. They were able to coordinate the propel of the new website at that point. We’ve been working with them ever since to maintain the website and to do general updates to it for full and such.
With the City of Philadelphia, you can only veritably have a contract for upwards of four years. We’re now at the close of that, so we had to put out a new contract occasion to last services of this kind. We’ve shifted from an engineering contract with this being a subtask to putting out a web livelihood contract, which we’re going to last with Tactile on board.
Results achieved
Could you share any evidence that would prove the fruitivity, condition of work, or the contact of the engagement?
Before the update, we were averaging almost 6,000 hits a month, and since the update, we’re closer to 10,000 hits a month. I ponder a big reason for that is the direction manual being developed web full. Previously, our hearers would just download a PDF and likely approach it locally off their computer. Whereas now, I ponder we’re seeing the users just visit the website to get the full through there, which is a big change. A downloaded PDF is static information. If we change our requirements or add additional clarity in that document as web full, the nation that are approaching it through the website are going to see the most running information, thus minimizing the chance of them using outdated static direction.
How did The Tactile Group accomplish from a project treatment standpoint?
For interaction, we would have weekly phone calls at more of a treatment level. There were a lot of emails. Especially for some design pieces, we would have meetings at their service to articulate some of the comments or the goals we were seeking. We also did a lot of comment tracking for testing and things of that kind through a Google spreadsheet. We were able to have multiple staff in it at once, especially as we geared it up for the release and the propel of the website. There were a lot of moving pieces at once, so we utilized that tool to be able to have multiple nation looking at something while quiet looking at the newest information.
In provisions of deadlines and schedules, we had a very nice release date. They were able to meet that pretty cleanly. That wasn’t an effect at all.
What did you find most forcible almost The Tactile Group?
I ponder their power to apprehend the objectives of their clients is forcible. We are not web programmers, but we tried to articulate as best as we could what we were looking for. Since we’re not in the field, it’s not the easiest of things for us to adjoin, but they were veritably powerful at apprehending the objectives we were going for and able to construe that into a fruit.
Are there any areas The Tactile Group could better?
There were truely opportunities for a pliant bit better project treatment. Though, they were a sub-consultant on the contract, so a lot of the things got funneled through the prime vendor. I’m averse to say that that was entirely likeness of Tactile. I ponder the prime vendor played a role there.
There also could have been a pliant bit more clarity on the costs up front. It’s not that the project went over budget, but it’s sometimes hard to fix we’re all on the same page of what the budget for something of that layer would be.
What tips or commendations could you share that might increase the likelihood of achievement with The Tactile Group?
I would give a full commendation for this type of work. They understood some of the characteristics of working with a government existence very fastly. We have true rules and true requirements that we have to pursue. You can tell that they had worked with government entities precedently. I would especially commend them for a open existence.
