City of Regina's website 'fares poorly,' poised for $500K revamp

The City of Regina expects to pay at least half a million dollars to a consulting firmto redesign its website, Regina.ca, which a report says is seeing declining traffic and not meeting users' needs.

Mayor Michael Fougere's executive committee is being asked to giveits stamp of approval to the project when it meets on Wednesday.

According to a report prepared by Melissa Butler, manager of interactive communications, more thanhalf of people surveyed back in 2015 said theythewebsitewas their preferred wayto find city information and conduct business with the city.

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"However, traffic to Regina.ca has steadily declined over the past three years because it is no longer responsive to user needs and expectations," Butler writes.

Designed in 2008

The report details how the website, designed in 2008, no longer meets the demands of the everyday user.

For example, it is not mobile-friendly, which is a problem since 50 per cent of web traffic comes from people using their phones.

Also, more than 40 per cent of users exit the site after only one interaction.

"Regina.ca fares poorly compared to websites from other Canadian municipalities, which are easy to use and follow modern design and usability standards," the report reads.

Butler writes that hiring a consultant to lead the redesign project will cost more than $500,000. Work is scheduled to start in fall 2017 and take 18 months.

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The report says themoney for the redesign project was approved in the 2017 capital budget, but any work in 2018 is subject to future budget approvals.

The report points out a number of benefits to the city from having a better website, including reducing the number of phone calls to Service Regina by making informationmore easily accessible online.

Creating message boards for civic news and reducing the need to communicate with residents by sending mail are also listed as potential benefits.