CityLink Website

Target Audience: The target audiences for the redesign of the website included CityLink riders, stakeholders and current and prospective employees.

Strategy Objective:The intent of this project was to create a website with a modern and compelling user interface to engage users to effectively find the information they need regarding the public transportation bus service provided by CityLink. The objective of this project was the complete redesign and development of the CitytLink website to better serve its riders, employees, residents, and visitors. The goal was to present a more user-friendly experience for those visiting the website and to implement the use of Google Map technology and other transit related technology as it becomes available to the District, such as an AVL software application. The website needed to be responsive to meet the needs of the ever-changing viewing habits of its users.

Situation Challenge: The previous website was old and not current to content or technology. The interface was difficult, cumbersome and not intuitive for users. Posted schedules and routes were difficult to find, the ability to purchase a user pass was difficult and the site was not mobile friendly.

Results Impact: The site was launched October 2018. Analytics pertaining to an impact on ridership are not yet available. Based on anecdotal evidence, there is a greater public awareness of CityLink, the services it provides and the routes it serves. In particular, users have commented on the ease of navigation and an increased ability to quickly navigate the site to find what they need.

Why Submit: This project was entered for consideration as representative of what a partnership with an innovative and talented marketing firm can accomplish. Our partner on this project, Central States Media, worked closely with the CityLink team in designing a modern and compelling website that is attractive and intuitive for our visitors. The challenge with our old website was it was "dated" visually and technologically. We needed a site that was contemporary in style and will easily grow and adapt as technologies do so. The quality of the design and technology stands out. The majority of website users are riders who are now able to access routes, schedules, and plan their trips on our home page and within a few clicks. The live site can be found at http://www.ridecitylink.org/.