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Analysis & Planning +

Usability +

Web Design +

CMS

Minnesota Department of Agriculture:

mda.state.mn.us

High Monkey Consulting was contracted with the Minnesota Department of Agriculture to perform a redesign of their existing website structure. The MDA has been provided consistent feedback throughout the past few years that their current website is both difficult to navigate and much of the content is difficult to understand. The MDA hired HMC through an RFP process to provide consulting and web development services in their redesign efforts. HMC completed Phase I on time and on budget and accomplished the following tasks:

• Analysis of the current MDA existing site architecture and data management practices. Currently the MDA has over 1800 static web pages and 15,000 PDFs that needed to be cataloged and classified by the HMC staff
• Extensive card sorting exercises with over 50 individuals to identify how the external public sees services and resources internal to the MDA. This process has provided unique insight into how users do not see the department as its current aligned. These sorts have allowed the core web team to develop a new navigational structure that will be easier for users to navigate to useful, relevant information.
• Research into the existing MDA site search technology. HMC assisted in clearly defining the deficiencies in the current search system, developed a comprehensive controlled vocabulary, implemented more complex page metadata and a more user-friendly search results page.
• Evaluation of current site content for relevance to identified user groups. Current site content was found to have an average reading level of college-aged plus. This has provided an issue for the MDA because the general public’s reading level averages at 8th grade. HMC worked with the MDA to restructure much of its current content to become less technical and shorter in length.
• HMC performed comprehensive usability task analysis with representative users which identified current site issues and to test the newly proposed information architecture and tasks for the future release.

Phase II of the MDA project included the re-design and re-structuring of its current site. It was also necessary to complete this process while concurrently maintaining current content on the existing site. HMC worked with the MDA webmaster to set-up a comprehensive change management process that allowed for current updates to the existing site while paralleling these updates into the new site structure.

The launch of the new MDA website has met with an increase in user satisfaction and decrease in frustrations over identifying relevant content. HMC also worked with the MDA to implement the Sitecore CMS system to further streamline the content development process. The decision to implement a CMS was directly affected by the effective analysis provided by HMC of the MDA’s need for a new content strategy.