The City of Carmel unveiled the new look and design of its website on July 7. The new site aims to provide an enhanced digital experience that pairs the latest technology with practical applications that make it more accessible for people with disabilities.
New features include:
- Improved navigation/information architecture designed to be concise, easy-to-use and intuitive for the end-user.
- Six call-to-action buttons (circular Home Buttons) chosen based on high-traffic web pages for one-click access to information.
- Service Finder and Address Lookup features to quickly find city services and council district information.
- Improved web accessibility in design and programming.
- An ADA compliant UserWay widget that provides a direct link to accessibility tools for a better user experience.
Carmel Mayor Jim Brainard said the city uses its website as a vital tool in its economic development strategy. The information and images used on the website show the quality of life and experiences that people are looking for when deciding where to live.
“It is also so important to be as transparent as possible with city business and all that we do,” Brainard stated. “Our website contains pages and links to thousands of public documents, uploaded and updated throughout the year. We want our residents to have easy access to information that is important to them.”
Website analytics concluded that nearly half of the city’s website visitors were using a mobile device, reflecting a global trend that people prefer to connect and engage online via mobile phones. The new site is designed to be responsive and accessible from devices of many types.
Because of the upgrade, previously saved bookmarks and links to Carmel.in.gov may no longer work and should be updated. Additionally, search engines may return broken link errors temporarily. A request has been sent to all search engines to update their links, but it may take a couple weeks before their search results provide accurate links.
