CSWD Website Launch
We’re thrilled to announce the launch of a newly redesigned website for the Chittenden Solid Waste District (CSWD), a project that integrates thoughtful planning, innovative design, and advanced technology to transform how residents, businesses, and institutions engage with waste management resources within Chittenden County, Vermont.
CSWD is Vermont’s largest solid waste district, serving approximately 168,000 residents, 7,400 businesses, and countless seasonal visitors to Chittenden County. Their mission is clear: to reduce and manage solid waste in an environmentally sound and efficient way. However, their website was hitting its limits in serving its user base. It lacked mobile responsiveness, buried key content too deeply, and made navigation a challenge for users looking for information on drop-off locations, hazardous waste disposal, and recycling education.
The Vision
Our mission for this project was to create a digital platform that matches CSWD’s dedication to environmental stewardship while making it easier than ever for users to access information on waste management within their homes, businesses, communities, and towns.
The main goal was to create a user-centric website that simplifies complex information while showcasing CSWD as the trusted authority on waste management in the region. This required not only improving the user experience but also aligning the site with modern design standards and making it easier for the CSWD team to maintain.
Key Objectives for the New CSWD Website
From the outset, we focused on achieving several key objectives for the new CSWD website:
- Focus on Enhancing Mobile Experience: Many users will only ever be accessing the site on their phones. To accomplish this, use accordions and carousels to condense information when longer/lengthier text sections go responsive.
- Jump Links on Interior Pages: Allow for quick access to content without having to scroll to find the desired section.
- Simplify Navigation & Enhance the Search Function: For quick access to information, reorganize the navigation and present information based on User Needs (e.g., Search A-Z List, Locate a Facility) and User Identification (e.g., I’m a Business, I’m a School)
- Leveraging Autocomplete in Search: Help a user more quickly see what search results are available to them.
- Modernized Design: Update the look and feel of the site to reflect CSWD’s branding.
- Make the Site Easier to Maintain: Reducing the reliance on plugins and create a “single source of truth” for managing critical information, such as hours and facility details, that appear across multiple pages.
- Ensure ADA Compliance for Accessibility
The Project
To meet these objectives, we approached the redesign with a balance of functionality and clean, simple aesthetic appeal. Using in-depth research gathered by CSWD in Phase 1 of the project, we sought to understand CSWD’s diverse audience—from residents disposing of household items to businesses needing compliance guidance. Our design emphasizes clarity, featuring an easy-to-scan layout, discoverable and predictable navigation, and allowing for CSWD’s engaging visuals to shine.
We prioritized immediate accessibility of critical information like drop-off center hours and locations, recycling guidelines, and hazardous waste disposal instructions. We also introduced story-driven elements, such as impactful statistics and real-life examples of CSWD’s work, to connect users emotionally with the mission.
Key Features of the New CSWD Website
The redesigned CSWD website is packed with features that enhance usability and efficiency:
- Enhanced Notifications: High-visibility alerts for critical updates like facility closures or schedule changes, displayed via modals, notification bars, and in-content areas.
- Integrated Maps: An interactive map for users to locate drop-off centers, view hours, and get directions.
- Robust Search Functionality: A refined search experience to help users quickly find what they’re looking for.
- Online Appointment System: A streamlined booking process for the Environmental Depot.
- Educational Content: Conversational FAQs and engaging statistics to inform and inspire sustainable waste practices.
- Purposeful Redundancy: Links to important information like hours, meeting minutes, upcoming events, and the A to Z List Search are repeated throughout the site in deliberate and purposeful ways to ensure a user finds the information they are looking for when they most need it.
- Centralized Content Management: A “single source of truth” ensures consistency for facility details and hours across the site.
The Outcome
“This project was a true partnership with CSWD,” shared Bytes.co Project Manager, Lauren Nitroy. “The collaboration between our teams ensured that we were delivering a website which is not only visually more appealing, but provides residents of Chittenden County with informative and accessible information, and makes that information easy for CSWD to maintain. We’re excited to see how they utilize it to further connect with and serve our community!”
With the launch of the new site, CSWD now has a modern digital platform designed to better serve its user base by providing easier access to essential information and services. The site’s intuitive design, improved accessibility, and engaging content make it a valuable resource for anyone in Chittenden County looking to manage waste responsibly. We’re proud to have partnered with CSWD on this journey and look forward to seeing the positive impact of this website redesign.
CSWD’s Website Transformation
Before:
After:
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