This month, the state of Michigan undertook an ambitious overhaul of all state department websites to improve the user experience.
In a press release, the state said the refreshed websites “take advantage of the latest technology and design for all state departments.”
“My top priority is to bring Michigan’s government into the 21st century at every level,” said Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist II. “Providing friendly, easy-to-use, and intuitive websites and digital services is key to that mission. Today’s announcement is a step forward in our efforts to serve the 32 million users visiting state websites each month and meet the needs of the people who live, work, visit, and do business in Michigan.”
Currently, 19 state agencies have launched their new websites as part of the new Michigan.gov portal. The state said additional websites will be launched monthly through April 2022.
The new websites are the result of a multi-year statewide website content management replacement project to update and replace over 110 executive branch websites. “The initial launch is just the beginning of efforts to continue streamlining content and making continuous improvements to the user experience,” the Michigan Department of Technology, Management, and Budget (DTMB), which is spearheading the project, said in a press release.
The project initially began in late 2017 after receiving funding approval from the Michigan Legislature. Once completed, the project will replace a 20-year-old platform and include reviewing and overhauling more than 170,000 web pages and 133GB of digital assets.
“Our goal is to improve user experience for the public, bridge agency content experiences, and create a more flexible and user-friendly content management environment for staff and site visitors,” stated Suzanne Pauley, DTMB eMichigan director. “We are excited about our multisite capabilities, and, longer-term, the ability to personalize content at a global level for visitors.”
According to DTMB, the benefits of the new websites include:
- “Aligning websites under a unified state of Michigan brand making experiences more consistent and user friendly,
- Modernizing system architecture, supporting omnichannel content management and integrating content personalization functionality.
- Standardizing site navigation and expanding content accessibility.
- Integrating social media directly on websites.”
