New site offers host of interactive features for customized user experience.
The new version of KilleenTexas.gov made its public debut today bringing modern design and features to Killeen’s online city hall.
More than six months of work has gone into the complete reconstruction of the City’s website, and while the address remains the same, the new site is a completely different user experience.
City Council approved funding for the project in the 2018 budget to bring the City’s website to modern standards and increase public access to information. The site’s previous version was a decade old and had reached the end of its useful life in both form and function. With nearly a million uses per year, an investment in this communication infrastructure had become necessary.
The City hired CivicPlus, a leader in local government website development, to create a custom solution for Killeen. Overall project goals included a modern, mobile-friendly design with a user-focused framework. Searchability, capacity, reliability, security and accessibility were also priorities.
“We had gone as far as we could with the old site,” said Hilary Shine, executive director of communications and project leader. “The website is our most public resource, and it had become outdated to the point that it was not providing an acceptable level of service.”
Shine said that the old version lacked mobile compatibility, which prevented over 60 percent of its users from accessing the site fully. She emphasized that the new design is scalable to any size screen without losing any features or functionality.
Visitors will notice the change in design immediately. Fresh colors and patterns highlight new features, most notably a prominent news banner. Quick links, calendars for both meetings and events, a highlight reel and a robust search engine all aim to help users find the services and information they seek.
An exciting enhancement is subscription capability. Users can establish individual profiles to set up text and email alerts for some or all of the site’s information push features. They can elect to be contacted directly in areas of interest like news, road, water or emergency alerts, event announcements or agenda postings. Preferences are completely customizable to each user.
“One of the most exciting outcomes of this project is the ability to reach out to our users directly rather than waiting for them to come to us,” Shine said of the subscription service.
The public is encouraged to visit KilleenTexas.gov to explore the new site and establish profiles. Comments and concerns may be directed to webmaster@KilleenTexas.gov.