Enhancing Usability of the EngageDurham Platform

EXPLORATION

The exploration phase included a thorough assessment of both internal practices and external benchmarks. First, the I-Team reviewed engagement platforms from six other municipalities. They noted several best practices, such as real-time analytics dashboards, translation tools, contact directories labeled as "Who's Listening," and integrated surveys that made participation easier and more transparent. On these platforms, interactive features, mobile accessibility, and consistent branding helped users understand where to go, what to do, and how to stay informed.

Next, the team conducted in-depth interviews with more than a dozen stakeholders across different City departments. These included current ENGAGEDurham users from Planning, Parks and Recreation, and Transportation, as well as potential users from departments like Solid Waste, Participatory Budgeting, Strategic Planning, and Community Engagement. Interviewees consistently expressed interest in a more unified engagement approach but pointed to challenges such as the lack of a shared process for posting content, varying definitions of what counts as "engagement," and branding that made the site feel disconnected from official City communications.

Feedback from the Communications and Technology Solutions departments was also solicited. Communications emphasized the need for better integration with the main City website and cautioned that their limited resources wouldn't support full ownership of the platform. Technology staff highlighted the importance of designing around resident needs and suggested that the platform could be linked to the City's main site for better visibility.

Website traffic data reinforced these concerns. In fiscal year 2024, ENGAGEDurham received just over 44,000 pageviews compared to 5.5 million for the City's primary website or a traffic ratio of 126 to 1. Even pages covering the same topic, like the new Unified Development Ordinance (UDO), saw significantly higher views on the City's website than on ENGAGEDurham. While some disparity is expected, the magnitude of this gap raised concerns about discoverability, search engine performance, and public awareness.

Despite these challenges, departments praised the platform's user-friendly tools and the ability to embed interactive maps and surveys. Planning and Transportation highlighted projects where online comment tools collected over 1,000 responses. However, many noted that ENGAGEDurham lacked consistent templates, branding standards, and clearly defined criteria for participation. Without a formal posting process or shared expectations, it was difficult to maintain continuity, update information, or ensure equity in access, particularly for Spanish-speaking residents and other marginalized communities.