The Department of Planning, Housing and Local Government Cover

The Department of Planning, Housing
and Local Government

The Brief

The planning process in Ireland can feel daunting to the general public, but Matrix Internet called on nearly 20 years of astute User Experience (UX) innovation to develop a website that presents the complex data involved in the most accessible way possible.

Myplan.ie is an official Government site — an initiative of the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government in conjunction with Irish Local Authorities. It is a web map portal that provides all the relevant information on development zones and other factors that influence the planning decision-making process, such as census data, heritage status and patterns of housing development.

The Department needed to upgrade its digital presence with a fully responsive, modern website that offered a seamless UX — while adhering to strict national and international standards. Matrix delivered with a site that meets strict conformance to the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) — achieving Level AA.

We migrated and enhanced essential tools from the existing site, such as the Esri ArcGIS map viewers and map gallery. And after extensive discovery workshops with Department staff, we designed a free-flowing and logical User Interface (UI), with intuitive menus for maps, documents and news and reports.

We integrated the entire structure of the website on the WordPress Content Management System (CMS), so Department staff can easily edit all website content, including maps. To further enhance the user flow, Myplan.ie is now also fully mobile-responsive.

Delivered services:  Website Development   UX Design SEO   App development

Key Features

  • 01
    Engaging and easy-to-navigate UX and graphic design;
  • 02
    Fully mobile-responsive;
  • 03
    Accessibility Level AA (WCAG) 2.1;
  • 04
    Full integration of Esri ArcGIS map viewers and map gallery;
  • 05
    Site available in English and Irish.
Goals

Goals

Fully upgrade the Myplan.ie site to maximise accessibility to the public.

  • Modern update to the Myplan.ie portal;
  • Present numerous sets of complex data in a logical fashion;
  • Conform to strict international regulations;
  • Gain trust of the public through transparency and information sharing.
Process

Process

Maintain existing strengths and fully upgrade Myplan.ie’s online presentation.

  • UI and UX design workshops with Department staff;
  • Migration and enhancement of existing functionality;
  • Develop bespoke website on WordPress CMS;
  • Deployment, testing and ongoing support.
Results

Results

A trustworthy and reliable portal with a sharp focus on accessibility.

  • A streamlined user experience with a huge reduction in the amount of clicks necessary to retrieve information.