Tuesday, July 12, 2011

Utah.gov Launches Responsive Web Design


SALT LAKE CITY--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Within minutes of launching the redesigned Utah.Gov, tweets began posting from around the world. Users were commenting, blogging, and critiquing the new design. The response was overwhelming; the world loved the new design. More importantly, they were providing instant feedback regarding navigation and accessibility. For the first time, users are able to instantly respond and Utah.Gov listened. While over four years of analytics were utilized to shape the redesign, continual feedback from citizens and users is an important part of the process. Since launched several aspects of the site have been modified. While they may seem minimal to the average user, the changes illustrate Utah’s commitment to not only listening to user feedback, but also utilizing it. Modifications based on user feedback gathered from social media outlets include:
  • Several enhancements were made to Utah.Gov within the first week of launch to improve accessibility.
  • Per citizen recommendation, the Near You section was expanded to allow citizens to add their own local schools, libraries and parks in their area, in addition to the current display of existing locations of record.
  • Additional language and instructions were added to Collaborate.Utah.Gov to clarify any confusion citizens might have once they submit material to Utah.Gov.
  • Website components were adjusted, and within an hour of being notified, page load speed increased by 75%.
  • Customer support was integrated to identify what citizens are really looking for. The 24/7 Support page was updated to include the most requested business and citizen agencies based on user feedback.
  • Search results were modified to be even more precise. Analytics were used to determine what searches didn’t yield results and tailored accordingly.
“It is always exciting to launch a re-designed Utah.Gov to Utah citizens, as well as our international audience,” said David Fletcher, Utah Chief Technology Officer. “With the internet always available at their fingertips, citizens now are able to instantly provide feedback and suggestions. Citizen involvement play an integral role in our improvement process, continually enhancing Utah.Gov as we incorporate valuable citizen response.”
In the first 48 hours of launching, over 800 tweets were posted about the new Utah.Gov design reaching an estimated 2.2 million people. Open dialogue that networks such as Twitterprovide allow for continual discussion as well as an opportunity to listens and act on user feedback. Utah.Gov practices responsive web design and it is important that citizen feedback is a key component of that process.

Wednesday, March 9, 2011

2010 Utah Egov Awards

The 2010 Utah E-government Awards were presented today at the Utah Product Management Council. This is the first year of what is expected to become an annual awards presentation. In 2010, awards were presented in five categories: best online video, best new website, best new online service, social media, and most improved.

Best Online Video

UDOT - Mountain View Corridor


USTAR - USTAR 2010/2011


Best New Website
Lt. Governor / Elections Office - Vote.Utah.gov
The Vote.Utah.gov website was the centerpiece of a successful initiative by the Lt. Governor's Office to encourage voters to register and vote in the 2010 election. The site also featured personalized information for individual voters within their geographic area, such as finding their poll locations and the platforms and information packets that corresponded to their individual precinct.

Social Media

UDOT - UDOT Blog, Twitter, and Youtube
UDOT's social media campaign was designed to provide better information to citizens about transportation issues. @UtahDOT provides regular Twitter updates on road construction, traffic conditions, and travel-related weather, while UDOT's new blog gives citizens an inside look at the Department and the issues it is dealing with.

Best New Service

This new service provides an administrative console to providers of continuing education services so that they can manage information about the courses they provide as well as information they provide to the Department of Commerce. Licensees are able to easily locate potential courses that will help them maintain their valid license status.

When faced with the requirement to physically verify information on every driver license renewal for the next five years, the Driver License Division was faced with a huge challenge of keep lines down in its offices and customers satisfied. The implementation of the online scheduler provided a way to maintain a more manageable flow of citizens through the renewal process.

Most Improved

DAS State Archives - Public Notice Website
The newly designed site, unveiled in October 2010, provides a more useable interface for thousands of public meetings for all state and local government entities. The advanced browse and search capabilities make it very easy to find any public meeting in the state.

Thursday, February 24, 2011

Census Data Delivered to Utah



The U.S. Census Bureau today released more detailed 2010 Census population totals and demographic characteristics to the governor and leadership of the state legislature in Utah. These data provide the first look at population counts for small areas and race, Hispanic origin, voting age and housing unit data released from the 2010 Census.

The official 2010 Census Redistricting Data Summary File can be used to redraw federal, state and local legislative districts under Public Law 94-171. The census data are used by state officials to realign congressional and state legislative districts in their states, taking into account population shifts since the 2000 Census.

Data for Utah show that the five most populous incorporated places and their 2010 Census counts are Salt Lake City, 186,440; West Valley City, 129,480; Provo, 112,488; West Jordan, 103,712; and Orem, 88,328. Salt Lake City grew by 2.6 percent since the 2000 Census. West Valley City grew by 18.9 percent, Provo grew by 7.0 percent, West Jordan grew by 51.8 percent, and Orem grew by 4.7 percent.

The largest county is Salt Lake, with a population of 1,029,655. Its population grew by 14.6 percent since 2000. The other counties in the top five include Utah, with a population of 516,564 (increase of 40.2 percent); Davis, 306,479 (increase of 28.2 percent); Weber, 231,236 (increase of 17.7 percent); and Washington, 138,115 (increase of 52.9 percent).

The redistricting file consists of five detailed tables: the first shows the population by race, including six single race groups and 57 multiple race groups (63 total race categories); the second shows the Hispanic or Latino population as well as the non-Hispanic or Latino population cross-tabulated by the 63 race categories. These tabulations are repeated in the third and fourth tables for the population 18 years and over and are for the resident population of the United States. The fifth table provides counts of housing units and their occupancy status.

Visitors to Utah.gov

DTS carefully tracks visitors to Utah.gov to identify trends and develop strategies for improving the utility of Utah web resources for Utah government and its citizens. In 2010, over 1 million unique visitors visited the domain every month except July and the overal tracking is in line with the state's digital government goals.

Wednesday, February 2, 2011

Utah Launches New Broadband Website


Today, the Utah Broadband Project announced the launch of the State of Utah’s broadband website, now available online at http://broadband.utah.gov. Last year, Utah kicked off a project to expand broadband mapping and planning efforts within the state and has worked to provide a comprehensive resource to help determine broadband availability and facilitate broadband planning. The Governor's Office of Economic Development (GOED) in conjunction with Utah.Gov, the Utah Automated Geographic Referencing Center (AGRC), and the Utah Public Service Commission (PSC) launched the interactive website featuring the State’s first broadband map.

“Broadband today presents us with the same challenges electricity did in the past century,” said Governor Gary R. Herbert. “Fostering economic development through business expansion in Utah is a top priority. The interactive map is an important tool that will help increase opportunities and access to information in both rural and urban parts of the state.”

The website has several features including an interactive broadband map, a broadband connection speed test and a reporting tool for areas in Utah without broadband service. The interactive site also has information about broadband impacts, and is targeted to state and local decision-makers, consumers, the business community, and broadband providers partnering on the project. The interactive broadband map clearly illustrates providers, speeds, and availability within the entire State.

“This Project has strengthened our relationships with Utah’s broadband providers and has enabled the successful launch of this innovative map and website,” said Spencer Eccles, executive director of GOED. “Utah’s broadband landscape is strong today because of the partnerships, investment and hard work that our providers have dedicated to deploying and maintaining their state-of-the-art networks in all corners of Utah.”

The National Broadband Map is scheduled for release by the Federal Communications Commission and the National Telecommunications and Information Administration on February 17, 2011. Utah is pleased to release its broadband website and Utah map ahead of the national benchmark.

With continued participation and support from the Governors Office, broadband providers and state and federal officials, the Project will continue serving as an important tool in determining and developing business opportunities in Utah.

Find out more information about the Utah Broadband Project through:

Website: http://broadband.utah.gov

Twitter: https://twitter.com/utahbroadband

Find out more information about Utah.gov through:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/UtahGov

Facebook: http://www.utah.gov/facebook/

RSS feeds: http://www.utah.gov/connect/feeds.html

Utah blogs: http://www.utah.gov/blogs/