Recently, The Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) received federal funds to subsidize the websites for 100 transit agencies in Ohio. (Who knew there were 100 transit agencies in Ohio?!)
With those funds in hand, ODOT went about selecting 5 website design companies to assist with designing and building those 100 websites. And ODOT wasn’t just looking for web designers in Ohio: they were looking for any web firm with transit experience. And, of the 5 firms they selected, we were the only one without transit experience.
Then, when ODOT was ready to fund the first transit agency website, we were fortunate to have been chosen for the inaugural project.
A new website design for the MBIE transportation agency.
The first project to be funded was for the Mary McLeod-Bethune Intervention & Enrichment (MBIE) Center in Mansfield. We found MBIE to be an amazing organization helping their community well beyond Mansfield.
The range of what they offer is impressive:
- Round trip transportation to appointments, jobs, to the airport, or events throughout Richland, Ashland, Morrow, Crawford, Knox, Summit and Cuyahoga Counties.
- Housing assistance for individuals and families with modest incomes, helping then navigate the issues of affordable housing shortages.
- Employment assistance supporting opportunities within the community to those who need it most.
- Co-working office space, which also has space to host events, and even photo studio rentals
- After School programs like basketball, art, and music classes.
- Financial Literacy workshops, seminars, and one-on-one counseling
- Entrepreneurial Training program to support and mentor new business owners. This includes developing business plans, financial strategies, and marketing tactics.
- Seniors program that meets twice weekly for Bible study, crafts and music, and attends social events together.
A website that was truly starting from scratch.
What made it a challenging website to design and build was the fact that MBIE didn’t have a website to begin with. With no real content or logo, and certainly no imagery, we were really starting from scratch.
After a couple Zoom meetings, we brought our experience and imagination to the project to build a well-organized, beautiful website. You can see the MBIE website here, and we hope you agree how well organized it is.
We just showed the amazing work they’re doing in their community.
We went onsite to shoot photography and video for the new website, and they worked with us to make it happen.
Shooting onsite really helped determine the look and perspective of the site. Being there helped us understand what they brought to the community. Seeing the people they help everyday helped us truly understand their programs, and how they better the lives of those in the community.
They hand-washed all their vehicles so they looked great, and let us photograph the “Yes We Can” Senior’s Program. It was fun filming the event, because it was Bingo day. We did our best to not interrupt what appeared to be a very serious bingo game!
Throughout the process, everyone at MBIE was patient, accommodating, and trusting. Based on our conversations and previous work, they figured we knew what we we’re doing!
The homepage video tells a story.
Ideally, we want to tell a story with homepage videos. We think the MBIE video really worked, because you can understand exactly what they do in the 30-second intro video.
More than just an amazing homepage design.
In addition to a colorful homepage design, and basic inside pages, we also built a “Request Transit” form. More than just a contact form, this allows people to sign up for their transportation needs online. Up until the new website, the request forms were done manually, requiring a phone call, with MBIE filling out paper forms.
Now that the “Request Transit” form is on the website, they receive emails with all the detailed information. Additionally, the forms are archived on the website’s database, so every request is stored for future reference. We also set up their “Donate” link, as well as allowing them to create news articles and information on upcoming events.
Helping after website launch.
We like to provide video tutorials for the new websites we do that shows how to update the website. This is really helpful if they either:
- Don’t update their website often, or
- For anyone not in on the initial training session, but who might update their website in the future.
Of course, we’re always available to help with other questions that come up as well. We also respond quickly should a client have any website issues, because when our clients are happy, we’re happy.