About EDL
Economic Development Lethbridge (EDL) serves as the driving force behind Lethbridge’s economic growth, collaboration, and advocacy. Dedicated to fostering enterprise and enhancing the quality of life for residents, EDL operates with a 31-member volunteer Board of Directors, guiding the city’s economic strategy and championing the Choose Lethbridge brand. As ambassadors of the community, EDL embodies innovation, approachability, collaboration, leadership, strength, and engagement.
The Challenge
When EDL approached Cheeky Monkey Media, their existing website presented significant challenges:
- The design failed to align with EDL’s vision and evolving needs.
- The custom-built platform restricted content management, requiring extensive developer support for updates.
- There was limited flexibility for future enhancements.
- The user experience was not intuitive, making it difficult for visitors to navigate and find relevant information.
- The site lacked effective tools to showcase local statistics and events in an engaging manner.
To address these challenges, the project had the following key objectives:
- Develop a unique, immersive user experience inspired by a “Choose Your Own Adventure” journey.
- Create a dynamic platform that not only delivers crucial economic data but also sparks interest in Lethbridge’s investment, growth, and knowledge opportunities.
- Implement a staggered development approach, ensuring a robust initial build with room for future technological and functional enhancements.
- Provide a user-friendly backend system for EDL staff, simplifying content management and updates.
- Enhance the delivery of local statistics and event information for users.
Key Pain points resolved
To achieve the goals set out at the beginning of the project, we implemented the following:
- Built on WordPress with Elementor – This transition significantly improved the ease of content editing and management for EDL staff, reducing dependency on developers.
- Interactive charts were implemented, utilizing CityViz, to present real-time local statistics, improving the accessibility and visualization of key data.
- A full design process was undertaken utilizing their existing brand guidelines, which included:
- A homepage redesign that encapsulated EDL’s mission and vision.
- Standardized page templates for consistency throughout the website.
- Three uniquely designed pages tailored to different areas of the EDL website including audience landing pages, events, and their contact and staff pages.
- This resulted in a new, modern and engaging theme
Conclusion
The collaboration between EDL and Cheeky Monkey Media resulted in a modern, flexible, and engaging digital platform that aligns with EDL’s strategic goals. By enhancing the user experience, improving content management, and integrating interactive data visualization, the website now serves as a powerful tool for promoting Lethbridge’s economic development. With a scalable infrastructure in place, EDL is well-positioned to evolve its digital presence in response to future opportunities and challenges.
You can view their new and improved website at https://chooselethbridge.ca/
Beyond the initial build, we look forward to our continued partnership with EDL to provide ongoing support and maintenance to ensure the website remains optimized, secure, and adaptable to EDL’s evolving needs.
