The new site would feature 2 parts, each to reflect the reason why people come to our website: 1)News and Information—something not offered by many other government sites 2)To get things done The New “cookcountyil.gov” “My.cookcountyil.gov” News and information about the missions and successes of Cook County Government in a brand new look and layout. The new place to apply, submit, and pay online. Create user accounts and customizable account pages, sign up for alerts, s, and other content customized to fit YOUR needs. 1 Website, 2 New Parts

CookCountyIL.gov-still the place to go for news & information Out with the old, in with the new! Still the home of news and information about the missions and successes of Cook County, but with these changes: New Look—wider template, bigger images, more interactive features. Clearer and Better Organized Department News Pages—news, features, and summaries that clearly describe mission, jurisdiction, links to My.CookCountyIL.gov, and what a visitor can accomplish online. Expanded Content and Links to “My.CookCountyIL.gov—by adding government back to the homepage it will be easier for people to find what they need to get done. Live Board Meetings and Streaming TV— Visitors can watch board meetings live from the homepage. Visitors can go to the CATV page and view live or on-demand programming.

My.CookCountyIL.gov—the place to go to get things done Goal 1--Create a very customer service driven website that makes processes, tasks, and finding information crystal-clear. It starts with departmental and bureau pages that have clear, customer-service driven copy. Put yourself in the shoes of the average government website user. The copy needs to be able to answer these three questions: Am I in the right place? If so, make it easy for me to find what I can accomplish If not, show me where I should be and why If this is the right place, show me what I can accomplish? Tasks Downloads Links Contact Us, maps, directions Make an appointment Based on why I’m here, is there a logical place for me to go next? More information? Do I need to take the second step in a multi-step, multi-department process? If so, what’s next? Or am I done?

My.CookCountyIL.gov—the place to go to get things done Goal 2 --Create customizable account pages that visitors opt-in to. The concept is based on the current design and function of My FCC.gov, My.CookCountyIL.Gov/JohnJSmith X X X X X X SMS/ Alerts by Department Latest News, by Department Permits & Licenses, by Department Online District Service Office, by Commissioner Calendar items and descriptions, by department Ordinances/Code, by department 1)Building Code 2)Housing Code Visitors would click to add modules from each department page; click to remove. Clicking on a module reveals information

My.CookCountyIL.gov—the place to go to get things done Goal 3--Create a space where a visitor can easily accomplish tasks and next steps, even across departments. The logic behind the site would help people navigate the entirety of the process they’re trying to complete. For example…. A Cook County-based homebuilder could create an account at My.CookCountyIL.gov. They could apply for building and plumbing permits and pay online. As he finished a permit, the system would prompt him on the most common next steps. He could apply and pay for an asbestos removal permit for an upcoming job. Since asbestos removal is likely linked to construction, the system would then prompt the builder on the need to complete and submit a building permit, electrical and other related permits and licenses. At the person’s Account Page, they could check the status of pending permits; as well as renew her General Business License. All in one visit. The system would record everything accomplished during the visit, allow for stopping, saving, and starting again; as well as print or.pdf the form or visit history if he or she needed to come into a CCG office.

Key Web Services and Tools Live chat Customer Service: Customizable settings allow live chat window and operator to appear on screens of visitors that behave as if they are lost on the site. Social Media Monitoring: an enterprise-level software package that makes it easier to track social conversation, manage and integrate it into our messaging. Automated Press Release Distribution Software: these services build on industry targeting and adding Search Engine Optimization principles in our press releases to allow more of our content to be found in search results. Enterprise SMS: citizens can opt in to quick messaging on service status, alerts, breaking news, etc. We need help finding vendors for the following services; some to add now, some later Cook County Bureau of Technology: Application Development and Management

Considerations For a New Website

In an environment where non-tech, non-design, non-graphic-oriented users will manage the website, the next system needs to favor the user, not the developer. If the goal is to empower the departments to deploy their own content, then we need to deliver a solution that is closer to where they are currently at. Expect to test the competing CMS’s with a group of users prior to presenting a solution. These users would be part of the group responsible for managing web properties. Usability helps the super-user as well. – We don’t have the luxury of being able to give current super-users a lot of time to learn how to thoroughly use the new tool. Easier is a shorter learning curve. Which leads the question…. Usability is the Key to Explosive Content Growth In order to avoid our legacy website deja-vu all over again, focus on making it easy to use Cook County Bureau of Technology: Application Development and Management

Of the 2 Major Platforms, Which is Best for Us? Is it Drupal v. WordPress? – Looks like it, but the only requirement is open source – What will SWOT tell us? How much will each cost over 5 years? What’s the most cost-efficient, based on the needs from the prior slide? What’s the plan to shorten the learning and comprehension curves of the platform? What’s the impact on our network? Is that the overriding concern? Should it be? Do we need a single platform? Is there a way to utilize bits of both in order to balance cost, usability, and the needs of our network? What can we learn from FCC to help guide a good decision? Which platform is the least expensive to operate? Which is the most cost-efficient? Which offers our users the lowest barrier to implementation? Cook County Bureau of Technology: Application Development and Management

Mobile-Use Responsive Design We don’t have the headcount to manage multiple platforms Responsive design maximizes effort, maintains visual presentation 1 site to manage, less cost, less hassle Cook County Bureau of Technology: Application Development and Management

Maximize Creative Options Instead of the usual 2-3 templates to choose from, integrate drag and drop page building functionality that allows departments to develop their own look – Built around a common header area and navbar to provide a common visual across department sites Build a new platform, or reverse engineer something that already exists Give departments, Commissioners, possibly elected officials ways to create their own look Cook County Bureau of Technology: Application Development and Management

Customer-service driven Copy Government is in the customer-service business, our copy needs to reflect that – There will always be some government-ese in our language; but that doesn’t excuse us from doing everything we can to make things clearer for our customers. Hire a top-notch customer-service copywriter to work with departments and agencies to develop crystal-clear customer-friendly copy Commit to the customer with clear and concise copywriting Cook County Bureau of Technology: Application Development and Management

Website Ecommerce or Self-promotion Regardless of one’s opinion on government website advertising, we need to be prepared – Tight budgets may require us to allow ads. Until then, a new platform with space allotted for banners and skyscrapers means better self- promotion Create ways to use our website real estate to generate incremental income or direct citizens to items of importance Cook County Bureau of Technology: Application Development and Management

Implement -based Customer Status Updates and Alerts We have secured Silverpop, an enterprise marketing system Adding these services just gets us caught up to the private sector Implementation will allow us to present a menu of agency and department newsletters for citizens to opt-into; creating the atmosphere for significant list growth—and better constituent communication We already have the enterprise platform that would allow us to join the rest of the 21 st century when it comes to customer service. We need a little help doing it. Cook County Bureau of Technology: Application Development and Management