Engaging the Alexandria community on a redesigned digital platform.
T
he City of Alexandria is a scenic and busy town on the Potomac River in Virginia. Bordering both the nation’s
capital and the National Harbor, Alexandria is full of unique history, art, restaurants, and an active
community. WDG partnered with the City of Alexandria to provide a reinvigorated digital presence with an
intuitive site structure.
Project Mission
The City of Alexandria has been named “one of the
most livable cities in the United States.” With this new recognition comes a powerful spotlight. The previous
website did not appropriately reflect the recognition Alexandria had received, so the redesigned site needed
to more accurately represent their community and prestige on an easily manageable platform.
What We Did
WDG provided a comprehensive site strategy,
including a redesigned information architecture and digital taxonomy to create an intuitive user
experience. Our design team also created a gorgeous new aesthetic to better reflect the beauty of the city
with thorough wire frames, front-end design, and user interface design.
Engaging Internal Stakeholders
WDG acted as a strategic consultant and mediator between each department within the city. Our strategists met
with 25+ representatives and led a “proto persona” branding exercise which determined demographics and needs of
each department. Additionally WDG strategists compared these results with those of surveys that directly polled
the target markets and city stakeholders. Compiling the totality of various results, WDG was able to create an
effective menu structure with multiple intuitive pathways towards needed content and resources.
In-Depth Research & Competitive Analysis
The City of Alexandria’s initial navigational structure was organized by department; however, the content
required to be within each department was unclear. WDG conducted in-depth research within each succinct
“group” to create affinity clusters of information. Once this commonality was determined, it was then applied to
the overall structure of the navigational layout.
WDG then conducted a competitive analysis base on responsiveness, navigational structure, organization of
content, categorization of services, surfaced taxonomy, and use of features like mega menus and quick links.
This information would then be considered when redesigning the entire sitemap and website experience.
Streamlined Navigation & Structure
WDG crafted a sitemap which implemented a clear navigation that included resources
for a spectrum of audiences, ranging from tourists to developers. This navigation was carefully mapped through
tiered layers of pages that were user-friendly. Using proto personas, WDG created an experience specifically
designed to reduce the amount of clicks needed to reach each destination. As a result, target audiences are able
to more quickly access appropriate and relevant information.
Winning Design
In addition to strategy, research and complex integrations, WDG designers created
a website that incorporated the city’s historic charm with modern and engaging aesthetics. Our designers
provided The City of Alexandria with an avenue to showcase their large-scale imagery.
Not only did this redesign encompass all goals of the City of Alexandria, it also
demonstrated expert information architecture while maintaining the integrity of the design.
A Streamlined Approach
WDG developers created a highly navigable, responsive interface to facilitate a
seamless user experience. With an elegant design and enhanced social media integrations, exploring the City
of Alexandria has never been so easy.
001
Swiftype Integration Search Bar
Through the integration of Swiftype software WDG enabled site
users to experience customized search results through the intuitive program.
002
Leveraging Social
Our team implemented a cohesive integration that allowed for a
user-friendly hub for all social platforms which presented each feed and handle in a digestible and
aesthetically pleasing design.
003
Mobile-First Approach
WDG ensured that The City of Alexandria’s new website was not
only responsive, but also dynamic and user friendly on every mobile interface.
