The Wilmette Park District is a dynamic recreational hub located in Wilmette, Illinois, along the picturesque shores of Lake Michigan. Serving the local community, the district provides a wide range of leisure and wellness programs designed to enhance the lives of residents of all ages. With a strong commitment to community engagement, the district offers various recreational activities, events, and facilities that foster well-being and togetherness.
View Live SiteWilmette Park District approached us with the goal of improving their online presence to provide a better user experience. Their existing website was outdated and lacked the functionality required to meet the needs of their growing community. The challenges they faced included:
Responsive Design: The existing site was not optimized for mobile devices, resulting in a poor user experience on smartphones and tablets.
Slow Page Load Times: The website was slow to load, leading to a high bounce rate and frustration for users seeking information quickly.
Lack of Interactive Features: The site lacked modern interactive elements to keep visitors engaged and informed.
Complex Content Management: The district needed an easier way to manage content and update the site regularly without technical expertise.
The district sought a solution that would address these challenges while also providing a user-friendly interface, fast load times, and seamless integration with their existing tools.
We redesigned the Wilmette Park District website with a focus on responsiveness, user-friendliness, and seamless integration of key features. A highlight was the RecTrac API Integration, which automated data retrieval from the district's registration system, allowing users to easily search, register, and access real-time program information. This integration enhanced the overall user experience by providing up-to-date details on activities and events. Our strategy involved:
The new website design enhanced usability, particularly on mobile devices, leading to a significant increase in user engagement.
Optimized performance contributed to a decrease in bounce rates, keeping visitors on the site longer.
Interactive features like the event calendar and RecTrac integration made it easier for users to access and register for programs, leading to higher community involvement.
The WordPress CMS empowered the park district team to manage and update content independently, saving time and reducing reliance on external support.
Hosting the website on AWS ensured that the infrastructure could handle fluctuating traffic and scale as the district’s online presence grew.