City of Issaquah launches new website

Redesign went live Dec. 5 and aims to reduce number of clicks to access pertinent info.

Mount Rainier, salmon, scenic views, photos of residents, blue, green, gold, links, calendars, tools, information, news — the city of Issaquah has a new website.

The design went live at 1 p.m. on Dec. 5.

“We are very excited that the redesigned site is now live,” said Thomas Rush, city communications coordinator.

The project began in early 2019 following an online survey collecting community feedback. Those results, paired with website data, informed the new design, Rush said.

Key findings of the survey were that residents wanted fewer clicks to find what they needed. A major goal of the new site is to have fewer pages and highlight frequently sought content so users spend less time finding what they’re looking for.

Community members also indicated in the survey that they wanted a more mobile-friendly platform and improved news and calendar feeds.

Rush said that earlier this year a National Community Survey also indicated that 84 percent of residents use city website as a source of information.

Other new city website elements include updates on news and projects being organized by neighborhood. The city also has enhanced its web pages for parks and recreation, economic development, and the city’s rentals program for weddings and events.

The city also conducted user testing this fall to make sure the new website is user friendly.

Rush said the transition from old website to redesign (“going live”) was seamless and there was no down time for customers.

“Initial feedback has been positive. We are excited to hear what people think,” Rush said. “We hope community members will send us feedback at communications@issaquahwa.gov.”

Now that the site is live, Rush said staff will be focusing on refinement.

“Like all websites, the work doesn’t end at launch. We will continue to make enhancements to ensure we’re providing excellent customer service,” Rush said.

A presentation on the redesign project is expected to take place at the Jan. 6 regular city council meeting.

The new website has the same web address at https://www.issaquahwa.gov/.