Transformation: The Delaware County Libraries System Website

We were delighted to be given the opportunity to transform the Delaware County Libraries System website. Books and reading mean so much to us that this was a project close to our heart!

Let‘s take you through some our journey as we undertook to transform the DCLS website to what you presently see. We’ll explain how we worked with DCLS to create an online presence, that answered DCLS’s mission, and along the way ended up winning an international design award.

On our first look at their original website, we knew the redesign would be no easy task. The first thing we noticed about the original DCLS website was the sheer amount of information packed into their website. Most of it was hidden from view and lacked any kind of hierarchy. This is exactly the type of project we love: making sense of complex systems and information, and then making that information user-friendly.  Although it was a daunting task, we knew we were up for the challenge.

To begin the process, we looked at what answers the old site could give us. Analyzing existing Google analytics and conducting user focus groups was key. What was the demographic for the library site? What were the most popular pages and content? How did users navigate through that content? The answers to these questions and more, were critical to how we approached the restructure the new site. This extensive research informed and drove the design of the re-design.

Designing a visible – gridded system that separated and defined the most important information for online visitors was our first design priority. We also worked at giving the content clear hierarchy. A visible calendar was also crucial. To keep the treasure trove of information that lived on the old site, an e-resource library was developed to let people search by subject (or alphabetically) through thousands of links. And, crucially, this revamped site needed to be responsive and accessible on both mobile and tablet devices.

Transforming the original library website into a functional and intuitive site was very gratifying for everyone involved in this extensive project. And having the work recognized with a silver award from The Horizon International Interactive Awards was an added bonus! Shoutouts to our partners Merje and Rock River Star for helping to realize this project.