Orange County NC Website
Colin Austin said when the Commission for Women was disbanded, HRC took on that <br /> cause. One of the commission's members came onto HRC, so there is one woman on the <br /> HRC interested in women's issues. <br /> Commissioner Gordon asked if there are any specific issues or if this is a general goal. <br /> Colin Austin said this is only a general goal. <br /> Commissioner Gordon suggested that HRC keep women's issues in mind when <br /> selecting future applicants. <br /> Commissioner Pelissier said she was heartened that the HRC wanted to work on the <br /> "ban the box" issue. She said she is part of the Partnership for Homelessness and she <br /> encouraged HRC to get in touch with Hank Elkins, who is heading up this process. She said it <br /> is important to discuss this and come up with more momentum. <br /> 3. Discussion of the Steps to Redesign the County Web Site <br /> Jim Northup reviewed the key areas of the website that need improving and introduced <br /> Carla Banks from the Public Affairs Office (PAO) <br /> Carla Banks said data and content management is being transferred from Information <br /> Technology to the PAO. <br /> She referred to a visual of the website while reading the information from the abstract <br /> as follows: <br /> The current Web site offers a host of online services (the most in the state), which was <br /> referenced to in the Strategic Information Technology Plan presented by the School of <br /> Government. Unfortunately, the existing design, framework and navigation of the current Web <br /> site does not allow these online services or any other unique features to be <br /> appreciated...mainly because the site lacks sophisticated functionality and it's not considered <br /> to be user-friendly by most people who visit the site. <br /> These issues were also outlined in the analysis conducted by the School of Government <br /> based on the responses given by the Board of County Commissioners and employees who <br /> were asked to share what they did not like about the Web site. <br /> The summary of the survey responses indicated: <br /> • The Web site looks outdated in terms of layout and design <br /> • Gaining access to information is difficult based on the current navigation options <br /> (i.e. too many clicks and there are no drop down menus to serve as a guide) <br /> • Staff efficiency is hindered by the difficulty in updating or creating Web content <br /> Redesigning the Web site will result in enhancing the online services currently <br /> available, allow for the addition of tools that will improve citizen engagement...while elevating <br /> the County's image by displaying a modern, professional and user-friendly Web presence that <br /> will mirror our neighboring towns and counties. <br /> • The first component of the redesign effort is to upgrade and improve the <br /> experience for people who visit the Web site, which speaks to the functionality <br /> and user-friendly elements that are outlined in Attachment A <br />