The Oregon Department of Agriculture has announced the launching of its new and improved website, providing visitors a more user-friendly experience. Months in the making, the redesigned website is streamlined to make navigation easier and is now mobile-friendly for those using smartphones and tablets.
“Our website is a primary source of information to the public, so it was important for us to develop something that improves our visitors’ online experience,” said ODA Director Katy Coba. “Our staff worked hard to come up with a finished product we believe will better meet the needs of Oregonians and others who come to our site.”
The ODA’s website has a new, clean design that is less text-heavy to help visitor’s find what they need more quickly and easily. Topics and information are organized in a way that makes better sense to the public rather than based on the agency’s organization and structure. New features include a news blog and calendar that will be updated regularly with current and useful information. The news blog will also coordinate the agency’s social media efforts.
A key consideration in the redesign is the growing number of visitors using mobile devices or tablets to access ODA’s website. The new site is responsive to any device and usable in all formats. The simplified structure and language allowed ODA to reduce the number of pages on its site by 75 percent while maintaining relevant and useful content.
ODA conducted usability tests with more than 300 Oregonians to help develop the design and structure of the new website. The feedback, combined with analytic data from ODA’s previous website, was instrumental in creating a final redesign that provides more accessibility and efficiency for visitors to the new site.
Visitors to the new site are encouraged to participate in a survey found on the home page.
The website was developed through Oregon’s E-government Program with the assistance of NICUSA, Inc., which is under contract to provide services to state agencies.
For more information, contact Bruce Pokarney at 503-986-4559.
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