The Ontario Clean Water Agency (OCWA) is a crown corporation committed to the provision of professionals who aid in the delivery of clean drinking water to small and large municipalities across the province. The previous OCWA website was over 9 years old, looked dated and was poorly organized. Recognizing a need for a new website to promote the organization and its vision, the OCWA issued an RFP for website redevelopment.
- Enhance user experience and navigation through improved information architecture and concise content
- Ensure seamless experience for users across multiple devices and browsers through a responsive design
- Empower staff through the introduction of an intuitive and cost-effective CMS
Solution
Sandbox and design partner INTENT helped create a modern and visually appealing site that is more engaging and easier to navigate and use. Built in the Drupal content management system, OCWA staff are empowered to make their own updates and upgrades to their website. The website was built to offer both English and French versions to support a bilingual audience. The homepage features an interactive banner image newsreel that highlights popular stories and events. The website is also integrated with internal reporting tools for staff, reducing manual processing of information.
Outcome
The responsive, bilingual and informative new site communicates the OCWA message to stakeholders across multiple platforms and devices, and meets accessibility standards as set out in the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2005 (AODA). Using the Drupal CMS gives OCWA employees more control over their online persona and branding, and makes it easy to refresh content and media.
The new OCWA site was built using the Drupal Content Management System. This open source CMS allows website administrators to easily manage and maintain their new website using a cost effective platform.
> Website Design & Development
Sandbox Software's Digital Strategists conducted a thorough review of the old website to help form recommendations for the new site's information architecture and site map. Social media usage, website traffic statistics, and assessments of competitor websites were used to determine the structure and design of the new OCWA.ca.
> Digital Strategy & Consulting
Design partners INTENT worked to deliver a modern, creative design that reflects the existing OCWA branding guidelines. Sandbox relied on our developer's technical expertise to ensure those designs worked seamlessly across a range of browsers and devices and complied to W3C and WCAG 2.0 regulations.
> Accessibility Compliance