The site has recently been simplified.  The content on this blog will be migrated to the new myhamilton website when it goes live.  Thank you for your interest as we work on improving the myhamilton website.

Key members of the Transition Team are..

Paul Takala, Director Digital Technology, Hamilton Public Library
Mary Sakaluk, Manager Virtual Branch Services, Hamilton Public Library
Richard Allen and Sarah Glen, Consultants

Get in touch…

By providing a comment on this blog or emailing: askhpl@hpl.ca

The Hamilton Public Library is currently building the site and will be engaging in new rounds of testing, user feedback and community consultations as we get closer to the launch date.

Paul Takala

The new myhamilton.ca that will be launched in 2009 is being built on new and improved content management software. In addition, visual presentation is a critical element of developing the new site. We need to ensure the visual presentation of content on the site is functional, visually attractive and engages customers. To meet these goals a design firm, Zinc Roe, has been engaged to develop the overall graphical look of the site.

• Current Draft of Home Page Design
• Current Draft of Content Page Design
• Complete our Online Questionnaire on the Draft Designs

Current State and Next Steps

We are currently on the 2nd draft of the designs from Zinc Roe.

• The design team is currently seeking input on the draft designs
• In late January we will be doing some initial user testing of the site
• The feedback we receive as well as the results of the user testing will be shared with Zinc Roe and help inform the next version of the design
• Zinc Roe in February and March will be providing final visual designs that staff developers will then be applying to the layout of the new portal software
• We anticipate several rounds of user testing as the site is getting built out and adjustments to the layout will be made to address problem; however, it is important to understand the visual layout being developed by Zinc Roe will have a major impact on what users experience after the site is launched

Background on Design Goals

Zinc Roe where provided detailed requirements and a creative brief on what we need from the new myhamilton visual design. Some of the critical goals outlined were:

• More visually appealing, invites exploration
• Easy to navigate – complies with standard web interface cues
• Friendly and fun; focus is on community and collaboration; less corporate looking site
• Effective use of screen space, navigations cannot take up too much real-estate, site will be used to serve a large amount of content
• Great use of colours – indicates current section is an obvious way
• Site supports the ability to Co-Brand the site: the myhamilton logo and the library logo will be integrated into the design. The design needs to be able to incorporate other brands in a standardized way
• Consideration of accessibility in all design decisions (http://www.w3.org/WAI)

Creative Briefing Notes

A creative brief was provided to the design firm. Key points included in the creative brief were:

• The site should convey a sense of our community and invite interaction and engagement.
• The basic vision of the site is “one place to look” for information by and about Hamilton – services, events, organizations, activities, etc.
• The focal point of the myhamilton portal is community connections – a virtual town square to exchange information and ideas. We want to retain the concept of convenience, but community and collaboration are essential components of the redesign. Taglines under consideration include:myhamilton – discover, participate, learn, grow; or m yhamilton – my home
• The website will be a rich resource for information about community resources and services, supplied by the Hamilton Public Library, the City of Hamilton, and by other agencies, organizations and community groups. It will be a site where the community can learn and discuss the issues of common interest. It will be a site where strategic initiatives such as the Jobs Prosperity Collaborative can find a home.
• The Community Consultation identified three basic customer groups: 1. Local groups and organizations; 2. Local residents and visiting students; 3. Non-residents

• To appeal to such a diverse audience the site must be easy to navigate and interesting to explore. Expert use of complimentary colours will serve as visual guideposts as well as attractive design elements. A final note regarding colour: (a) the myhamilton logo can be modified – alternatives to sage green are welcome as part of the redesign process; (b) the Hamilton Public Library logo cannot be modified. It may be reproduced in blue or black. Alternatively, it can be presented as text i.e. My Library, to address compatibility issues with the myhamilton brand.

1. myhamilton – discover, participate and grow

2. myhamilton – a gateway to the community, to information and services

3. myhamilton – discover your community

4. myhamilton – your community lives here

Study Report

Three themes surfaced during our ninety-minute conversation: 1) community development is having a positive impact on our city; 2) today’s web is a proven enabler of community development; and, 3) HPL and myhamilton.ca are well placed to help advance collaboration between and among a number of large scale community development initiatives now happening in Hamilton (including the Hamilton Roundtable for Poverty Reduction and the Jobs and Prosperity Collaborative).

More specifically, we talked about the potential of myhamilton offering “rooms” to accommodate various current and emerging initiatives, “tools” to engage people and promote open conversations, and “features” to help attract people, firms and investment to Hamilton.

We also agreed that access to information is a common thread that runs through all community development initiatives.

It will be interesting to see how these ideas evolve over time as we hold more key informant interviews with community leaders and focus group sessions with grassroots users.  

What could happen if we sharpen our alignment?

Each session will last approximately 90 minutes and include two components: a “pen and paper” questionnaire you can use to tell us about yourself and your personal web needs/preferences; and, an “open conversation” in which you can share your experiences with others and collaborate on building ideas for change.

The whole idea is to get a better sense of the needs of grassroots users of myhamilton.ca that will inform future improvements to the site over time. Below is a schedule of the sessions (all will be held at local public library sites except for Session 5 ~ site TBD).

Session 1: May 14 | Arts and Culture
Session 2: May 21 | Education and Careers
Session 3: May 28 | Zoomers and Seniors
Session 4: June 4 | Students and Youth
Session 5: June 11 | Newcomers and Diverse Communities

To learn more, or to register, contact me at rallen@mountaincable.net or call 905-572-0363.

Richard Allen, Project Consultant