Comprehensive Website Overhaul for a Utility Provider with User-Centric Design and Content Optimization

The utility company’s existing website is over a decade old, with a sprawling structure of over 700 pages, making navigation complex and user experience poor. Customers and internal stakeholders find it difficult to locate essential information, leading to inefficient site management, reduced customer satisfaction, and difficulty in communicating key initiatives such as renewable energy commitments. The site’s organization does not reflect current user needs or content relevance, resulting in low engagement and high maintenance costs.

A large regional utility company serving industrial, commercial, and residential customers, seeking to modernize its online presence to improve customer engagement and operational efficiency.

• Reduce website complexity by eliminating unnecessary pages to streamline content, targeting a 60% reduction in URLs and core content consolidation.
• Design a task-based, simplified navigation structure to enhance accessibility and ease of use for diverse customer groups.
• Implement a modular, component-based design system to enable efficient content creation and page management, facilitating rapid updates and consistent branding.
• Improve overall user experience, reducing time to find key information such as bill payment, outage reporting, and rebate research.
• Increase internal site management efficiency and content updates through a flexible, scalable CMS with reusable content blocks.
• Position the website as a platform to effectively promote the utility’s renewable energy initiatives and community programs, aligning with strategic branding objectives.

• Task-oriented navigation menus organized around primary customer goals (e.g., billing, outages, rebates).
• Application of a content audit to identify and remove outdated or redundant pages, maintaining around 300 relevant pages post-restructure.
• A modular library of approximately 30 reusable content blocks to allow flexible page creation and customization.
• A “How do I...” dropdown menu for quick access to common pages or actions.
• Floating homepage links for easy navigation and persistent access to key sections.
• Integration of real-time calendars, fee calculators, and a secure customer portal login module.
• Support for unique, high-visibility pages such as event calendars, community engagement content, and interactive features.

• Customer portal login system for account management
• Real-time outage reporting and status feed
• Calendar feeds for community events or scheduled maintenance
• Rebate and program information systems
• Payment gateway for online bill payments

• Site scalability to accommodate increasing content and user traffic without performance degradation
• Page load times optimized for under 3 seconds
• Secure handling of customer login and payment information in compliance with industry standards
• Content management system with role-based access control for easy administration
• Responsive design ensuring seamless experience across devices and browsers

The redesigned website is expected to significantly enhance user experience by providing intuitive navigation and quick access to key services, leading to increased customer satisfaction. The 60% reduction in website pages will streamline content management and reduce maintenance costs. Modular design and reusable components will enable faster content updates and consistent branding. Overall, the project aims to improve operational efficiency, support strategic communication initiatives, and foster stronger community engagement, resulting in measurable improvements in customer engagement metrics and a more agile digital platform for the utility provider.