Recent Work
Please note that the screen captures from internal, non-public sites are simply the Photoshop documents I created when designing the sites. They do not contain any real information.
The Clermont County Web Portal
The Clermont County Board of Commissioners
New photography and the ability of their staff to edit the website have given the Commissioners a great way to communicate even more to the County. We updated the site’s content, making it easier to understand, manage and use.
This is the internal SharePoint redesign I did using Windows SharePoint Services 3.0. We utilized it’s document library functionality as a main draw, but have also used it to improve communication and collaboration and to move the County to “cloud computing”. More here.
This was my first website built for a client that uses WordPress as a CMS. I was able to make use of a plug in to create a really nice (and simple!) photo gallery. The solution works out really well for the client, who can easily update the site from the field and easily add images from their digital cameras.
The Clermont County Auditor
Walking into the Auditor’s office, you will see a cartoon that reminds everyone, employees and visitors, of the importance of great customer service. That ethic was the driving focus of the site’s redesign, which grew to include a feedback form for comments on the new site, a dog license search tool to help find lost dogs and a video library to help better explain new initiatives.
This new site is the result of over four years of effort and will serve as a great example of what can be accomplished online by a local community government official.
The Engineer and his team wanted to edit their site whenever they wanted, without the delay of working through a web team. The in-house content management system that my team built from the ground up gave them all that and more, allowing them to update their site even from the field. That aspect is crucial for the department that handles snow removal during winter storms. We switched to a URL that’s easy to remember, www.ClermontEngineer.org. I worked with the team on developing a consistent methodology of updating their home page with new information. Content modules include road repair and closure announcements, in-depth road announcements during emergencies, quick links to popular pages and graphics that quickly tell users the status of county roads. We identified several processes by which users would download paperwork, print it out and mail it in. In an effort to both “green” the operation as well as to save time and postage, I developed completely digital processes for citizens to apply for permits, request a county map and to report a problem.
Like the rest of the country, Clermont County has seen more than its fair share of foreclosures during the current economic crisis. Unlike everyone else, we decided to do something about it. The Clermont Save Our Homes Task force was created and its membership includes elected officials, area leaders and County employees. The goal is to provide help and answers to those in our community facing possible foreclosure. I was tasked to develop their website, which is a one-stop location for users to find out what alternatives they have and who can help them. I worked with the team to develop content strategy as well as site design and development. The new site can be found at the aptly named ClermontSaveOurHomes.org.
Clermont County is in the middle of a comprehensive radio re-banding project. There’s a massive construction project that will greatly increase the square footage of our 911 center. And then there are all the other projects that involve multiple departments and outside agencies and vendors.
COMM.ClermontCountyOhio.gov will be able to house all of the information (and paperwork) outside vendors and agencies will need from us to move forward or check project status. It also features an email newsletter tool that will allow us to send out updates to those who choose to subscribe.
The Probate / Juvenile Court’s main goal was to get their extensive form library online. It was a move that would free up labor hours as well as be an effective (and welcome) form of communication with the county. After designing and developing the site, I worked with them to perfect their forms and then to arrange them on the website in the most straightforward manner possible.
There was a good deal of overlap between the Permit Central and the Building Inspection departments. Both were trying to make it easier for citizens to get the paperwork they would need for projects and to make their information more readily available to the public.
So then it occurred to them, if the goal is to become a one-stop shop, we should be one shop! And the Permit Central / Building Inspection Web site was born. Combining all of their paperwork online as PDFs and opening up their electrical releases to be able to be publicly searchable, they continue to make everything easier.
The Clermont County Department of Job and Family Services Web site serves as an umbrella for their five sub-sites. When I incorporated Google-powered search on this site, I made sure that it searched all of their domains, giving users a one-stop place to search all of their online material.
Children’s Protective Services of Clermont County serves a very important mission. Their Web site works to not only explain that mission but to answer questions some might be afraid to ask in a phone call and to help clarify the finer points of some very sensitive issues.
The Adult, Child and Family Stability Web site is another site within the “mini-brand” of fun, spring colors and happy family photos with Children’s Services and Child Support Enforcement. This launch kicked off a large renovation of their online content, in which we looked not only at their needs as a newly renamed department but at the goals of all of Job and Family Services and how they fit into that picture.
ClermontSupportsKids.org – A bright redesign and some warm, engaging shots of children will really help to personalize their important mission.
Water and Sewer District – I helped Clermont County’s Water and Sewer District develop a Web site that increased their level of customer service as well as some “green” information to not only help the community but to market themselves as environmentally-friendly as well.
CTL Aerospace – I worked with CTL Aerospace to determine both short- and long-term goals for their Web site. The previous site had been developed in 2002 and was in desperate need of a redesign, so we made that Phase One of the plan. The new site was for accessibility and future development.
Community Planning and Development – As a rapidly-growing county, Clermont needed to be able to alert citizens and the media of upcoming meetings as well as to provide a lot of documentation. The site I did allowed the public not only to learn about the planning process, but to easily find what they needed.
VSOft internal Clermont County Software Screen Designs
The Veterans’ Services Commission was using three programs – all of which were outdated – to manage and track the veterans they were helping. We implemented a clean web application that allowed them to track the veterans and how they had been helped all in one place. The Commission can now dynamically create forms they used to have to recreate by hand, run reports on service offerings from one database and even add a picture of the veteran. My team was awarded the “Award of Excellence” from their office as well as a Medallion of Commendation, the highest award a veteran can give to a non-service member!
Park District Clermont County, Ohio
The Clermont County Parks District offers a lot of great programs to citizens and we wanted to make sure they were able to tell the world. We integrated them into our content management system and (for a bit of fun) have a title graphic that changes based on the season.
Executive Report – Clermont County, Ohio. Internal site screen designs.
The Clermont County Commissioners office needed a better way to aggregate and publish the meeting notes between the county administration and the various department heads. My first step was to rename it from the “Administrator Tool” to the “Executive Report”. We then delivered a searchable collection of reports that can be easily archived.
Don White’s office did not have a Web site, which meant a lot of other county offices were fielding calls for them. We put together an informative site that helped them communicate with the public and the results were a big success.
Storm Water Management – The Clermont County Storm Water Management Department really needed an improved way to get the word out about all of the work that they do. I worked with them to develop a strategy for presenting their work online and communicating all of the workshops and other meetings they sponsor. We even added some special icons for links they knew would be popular with their users.
The result is a site that is consistently praised for delivering great new material in a clean and well-designed site.
Clermont County Veterans Services Commission - When I asked what the most important thing a Web site could accomplish for them, the Veterans’ Services Office said, “Let the veterans in Clermont County know what we can offer them!” We worked together to develop a site that spotlights the services they offer – in easily read copy – as well as to create a community where local veterans’ groups can submit events to the site’s “Bulletin Board”.
I was awarded the Medallion of Commendation (the highest award a veteran can confer on a civilian) as well as the Veterans’ Service Commission’s Award of Excellence for my work on this site and the VSOft application listed above.
Office of Environmental Quality – Helping Clermont County be a little more “green”, the Office of Environmental Quality uses the tools my team delivered for them to mail out an electronic newsletter, promote events like their annual “River Sweep” and even find the closest recycling location depending on what types of items they need to safely dispose.
Baba Budans Coffee - I helped Cincinnati coffee house Baba Budans deliver a bold new Web site that capitalizes on their new brand image as well as offering personal touches like a letter from the owner thanking everyone for their patience during an extended remodeling.
The Treasurer’s Office One thing I have tried to do with every Clermont County Web site is to draw on the knowledge of the front line staff for what the Web site should really be about. No site does a better job of this than the county Treasurer’s office. They constantly work to maintain their content, adding to the site every time they find something that would be helpful for the county citizens. I definitely feel like I just got the ball rolling for them, but they really delivered a great site.
T.R.U.S.T. Software Development
Truly a sign of what can be accomplished in the flat world, TRUST Applications built a world-class risk-management application in their free time! The web site handles orders, sales questions and even uses Google’s GrandCentral service to allow for their own call center! Our web site lets them get back to developing even more great applications.
Economic Development for Clermont County, Ohio
The Clermont County Economic Development Office won a well-deserved IEDC Excellence in Economic Development Honorable Mention for this web site. I simply put the framework in place and helped create a unified look, but it was there hard work that won the award and earns them consistently high praise for the site.
An initiative headed by a group of concerned Clermont County officials who wanted to alert the community about methamphetamine and its insidious encroachment into the greater Cincinnati area. The result was a dramatic Web site that collected essays and articles designed to educate the county.
The Childrens’ Services organization in Clermont wants to let users know what being a foster or adoptive parent really means. Fun colors, engaging testimonials and a “Waiting Children” section make a strong argument to users.
The Transportation Improvement District of Clermont County
The TID needed an online library of their ongoing project paperwork so that current and potential collaborators would be able to access everything. We also use it to let people know of upcoming meetings. The real success of this web site is that we delivered it in less than a week, which just goes to show what a great framework can do!
The Clermont County Board of Elections
The Board of Elections’ site features the ability for residents to find their polling location, information about upcoming candidates and issues and a list of public officials. It’s most popular feature is the “Election Results” page, which BOE employees update as ballots are counted. In addition to the little logo I designed, I also serve as a media liaison for the site.
Logos and Artwork
OnSite Software Logo
T.R.U.S.T. Software Development Logo
The Compound Group Logo
- Posted by Tom at 08:06 pm
- Permalink for this entry
- Filed under:
- TrackBack URI