Municipality Denderleeuw
The new website of the municipality of Denderleeuw
Why a new municipal website for Denderleeuw?
A website is always in motion and is, of course, continuously adapted and improved. But this time, a big jump was necessary to keep up with the technology and improve user-friendliness. On the one hand, the previous website was no longer supported and on the other hand, we had to renew in the context of accessibility (WCAG) and mobile-friendliness.
The new CMS platform also offers extra layout options. And you can see that in the fresh design, the beautiful overview or project pages and the successful integrations such as the UiT calendar and our online appointment module.
Moreover, as a council, we are committed to digital services. The new website is 'our digital town hall' that is open 24/7. At any time of the day, at home or on the road, on various devices, citizens can easily access all the information and many online services: applying for all kinds of certificates, documents, premiums and permits or delivering them online, making an appointment to visit our services, reporting incidents, registering online, and so on. All these online services are also collected separately in the digital counter
"You feel listened to, you are not alone and you can always discuss new possibilities."
Joeri Bombeke
Head of Service Communication & ICT at the municipality of Denderleeuw
How do you experience the ease of use of the new CMS Platform?
In the beginning, I was a bit overwhelmed by the novelties, but after a while, I started playing with the different possibilities. Shana, the project manager, gave us suggestions and the necessary training to get to grips with the CMS platform. That way, we could get started ourselves. The possibilities in the new CMS Platform in Drupal 9 are broad: from web forms to the editor.
The possibilities in the new CMS Platform in Drupal 9 are broad: from web forms to the editor.
Because of the many possibilities, you also quickly see other ways of presenting large amounts of information. The local government has an enormous number of tasks and services, in a wide range of domains. Just as it is important in the 'real' town hall to be able to find your way easily to the right counter or the right service, this is also the case on the municipal website.
Was there any other form of personal guidance and support besides the training?
Yes, we were assisted by project manager Shana. The support ensures that you can continue to evolve in the right direction. It was nice to have personal guidance from someone who listens and thinks along. The support is excellent. There is a good balance between the human and the technical side of the process. You feel that they listen, you are not alone and you can always discuss new possibilities.
What is the most important tip you would like to give your colleagues?
The year was very challenging for the municipality of Denderleeuw in the field of IT and the further development of our digital services, both internally and externally. A crucial aspect was the further growth of our website. It was important from the start to build a website in an evolving CMS that continues to grow. In the community, it is also possible to pass on ideas and share development costs.
In addition, make enough time for analysis and user research of the website and look for other colleagues' information. That is a good starting point to know what is going on and a good basis for continuous further development of the website.
It was important from the start to build a website in an evolving CMS that continues to grow. In the community, it is also possible to pass on ideas and share development costs.