How do you bring Münsterland online to all devices?
THE CHALLENGE
Among other things, Münsterland e.V. operates online portals on the topics of culture, tourism, business and science in Münsterland. With these, Münsterland e.V. is faced with the challenge of meeting the ever-increasing access from mobile devices, such as smartphones or tablets.
WHAT WE DID
- Completely reworked, modern design
- Focus on usability and user experience
- Mobile optimization with responsive web design
- Improved search engine optimization
Different devices place different requirements on a website
When you optimize a website for different devices — and you definitely want that nowadays — there are a number of special requirements.
Mobile optimization as a ranking factor
Search engines, such as Google, now consider optimization for mobile devices as a ranking factor. If your own site is not optimized, the ranking is correspondingly worse. Optimization is therefore an important aspect of search engine optimization (SEO).
Different behavior on mobile devices
There are special mobile behavior patterns.
- The changed usage behavior must be addressed through changed concepts, for example in navigation.
- The operating behavior requires a different approach to presenting the content. Complex multi-column layouts are difficult to use on devices with small screens. Text sizes must be adjusted. Navigation elements must provide quick access to the most important information.
Other technical requirements
Some mobile devices have different technical requirements. Internet speed is often limited and technical measures must be taken to make the site available to the user in an optimal time.
Four online portals for Münsterland
Münsterland e.V. operates a total of four online portals in the subject areas
- Tourism,
- Culture,
- Economy and
- Science.
Technically, the websites share a common basis. However, the new design and mobile concept must simultaneously satisfy all portals, some of which have very different target groups.
Mobile optimization of Münsterland web portals
The previous portal pages did not meet the requirements. Zweitag was therefore commissioned to discuss the framework conditions for mobile optimization, to create a concept for implementation and to carry out the proposed optimization measures.
In addition, the design of the site has been completely reworked to meet modern criteria and requirements.
Three sources of information were used in the design:
- Generally applicable usability best practices
- Analytical data from the target group, e.g. from Google Analytics
- Münsterland e.V.'s experiences with its target group
Responsive design
There are different strategies for mobile optimization.* The optimal one always depends on the respective framework conditions – users, usage behavior, target devices, technical options, resources, etc. When optimizing the online portals for Münsterland e.V., after a detailed look at all relevant variables, we decided to implement them using Responsive design decided.
Responsive design means that the website reacts flexibly to different display sizes. It is not necessary to develop separate websites, but a uniform code base is assumed.
*See article for more details “Website optimization for mobile devices” .
Complex navigation accessible anywhere
The portals offer extensive information in a complex information architecture. Navigation must comply with this. Especially on small displays, all information must be accessible via intuitive navigation.
Der Münsterland e.V.
Mit mehr als 400 Mitgliedern zählt der MÜNSTERLAND e.V. zu den stärksten Regionalinitiativen in Deutschland. Maßgeblich beteiligt sind die vier Kreise Borken, Coesfeld, Steinfurt und Warendorf mit ihren 65 kreisangehörigen Städten und Gemeinden sowie der kreisfreien Stadt Münster.
The NORTH WESTPHALIA CHAMBER OF INDUSTRY and COMMERCE, the MÜNSTER CHAMBER OF CRAFTS and the GERMAN HOTEL and RESTAURANT ASSOCIATION WESTPHALIA E.V. are also among the members.
The association's tasks are primarily to expand Münsterland's image as an excellent location for tourism, business, science and culture as well as to promote the identification of people living here with their region.
Source: MÜNSTERLAND e.V.
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