To bring the improved functionality of our new miller column structure to the forefront of our website, our homepage has been redesigned to accommodate the new menu and some additional features.
When launching our homepage, whether that be on a computer or mobile device, a citizen will clearly see tabs to view either our most popular services or browse all services.
The most popular tab will display our service areas that are commonly visited, using large text and icons, these are easy to view and select on any size screen. These icons link directly to a page, mini-section or miller column menu for the user to browse.
Alternatively, if a user selects the ‘browse site’ tab, the new miller column structure opens and the whole site can be browsed and navigated through three clicks.
As well as the new navigation options, we have also added a ‘Featured content’ where additional emphasis can be placed on areas on the website, such as school admissions in September, the gritting map in the winter, or our myStaffs app. This new section sits above ‘Latest news’ which now also has the capacity for four news stories rather than three.
The aim of these new additions to our homepage was to simply give a web visitor all they need in one page. As a local government authority, our main goal is to provide information and guidance to all citizens in a functional and user–friendly way. We feel that our new homepage additions help achieve this.
We still have plans to update the homepage further with a new header and perhaps a more prominent search feature decorated with Staffordshire photography. However, for now, our basic functionality has greatly improved, allowing citizens to find information easier than ever before.