Case Study

McMinnville Water & Light

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GO-Live Date

February 12, 2024

Trusted Web Experts

Charlie Stanley Web Solutions Architect
Caleigh Pickard Project Manager
Nikki Vanderkooi Content Strategy & Integration
Imelda Sotiri Layout Design
Mehran Aziz Web Developer
Michael Confalone Training & Website Launch
Callum Creed Quality Assurance
Katie Morman Content Visualization
Leanna Thesken Marketing & Case Study
Deanna Frimann Resource Allocation

Goals

Intuitive DesignModern & Forward-ThinkingUp-to-Date Content
Visit McMinnville Water & Light

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Blueprint

Overview

Meet McMinnville Water & Light

Founded in 1889, McMinnville Water and Light (MW&L) stands as one of Oregon’s oldest and most trusted municipal utilities, dedicated to providing essential water and electric services. Seeking a modern and dynamic website, MW&L partnered with Powerful. MW&L wasn’t just looking to get a facelift; they aimed to showcase themselves as a forward-thinking utility, committed to providing up-to-date and engaging content for their community.

A Visual & Interactive Leap Forward

Gone are the days of dreary text-heavy webpages. To redefine the website’s engagement, Powerful introduced a variety of visual elements– transforming text-heavy pages into captivating, visually engaging experiences. By integrating icons, photos, and graphics, the visualized pages significantly boost visitor engagement. Drawn by the dynamic, inviting layout, visitors now spend more time interacting with the content. Specific visualized pages were selected by Powerful’s team of trusted web experts. These pages were chosen based on a deep understanding of what resonates with utility customers. For instance, the Start/Stop Service page has been streamlined with intuitive icons and distinctive graphics, making the process clear and easy for customers. This strategic selection and design of key pages are grounded in Powerful’s extensive knowledge of utility needs and customer expectations.

Another standout feature is the video in the top hero section of the homepage. This visual storytelling element goes beyond traditional imagery, providing more immersive insight into MW&L’s operations and role in the community. As the video brings MW&L’s service territory to life, it offers a narrative that connects with the community on a deeper level, and conveys their message more powerfully.

Staying Current & Connected

Beyond aesthetics, the redesign focuses on delivering timely information to MW&L’s community. Visitors now have easy access to the latest news, events, and important updates, ensuring they’re always in the know. Behind the scenes, the backend functionality has been streamlined to allow MW&L administrators to update content effortlessly, ensuring the website remains a reliable, current resource for the community. Whether it’s upcoming events, service updates, or important announcements, the MW&L team can swiftly keep their audience informed.

Challenges

MW&L's website offers a wealth of information on their two key utilities: water and electricity. However, with the evolving expectations of visitors for quicker and more intuitive online experiences, there was an opportunity to enhance how customers interacted with the site. The main challenge was to refine the visitor experience, ensuring that customers could effortlessly find what they needed; whether it was to pay a bill, get updates on outages, or access service information.

Solutions

In response, Powerful set out to truly understand and anticipate MW&L's customers' wants and needs. The introduction of a mega menu was a strategic choice, designed to categorize and present information in a way that mirrors the thought process of the customer, making navigation seamless and intuitive. To further streamline the visitor experience, three critical hyperlinks—'Pay My Bill,' 'Outage Updates,' and 'Contact Us'—were positioned prominently at the top of every page. This ensures that key actions are always within easy reach, no matter where visitors find themselves on the site.

Results

The refinement of MW&L's website structure has elevated the visitor experience, making it more intuitive and aligned with customer needs. By proactively enhancing the website's design and functionality, MW&L has reinforced its role as a customer-centric utility provider, ensuring that every online interaction is smooth and efficient.

We started with a good product in Powerful, and your team was competent and easy to work with. That made all the difference. I am very pleased with this project, from beginning to end. Thank you to the staff for all of your hard work!

Marci Humlie

Human Resources Manager

I enjoyed working on McMinnville Water & Light's website redesign! I love their carefully selected color palette and how it works throughout the site. These refreshing hues infuse a bright and inviting energy into the site, perfectly capturing the essence of their community and creating a memorable online experience for site visitors.

Caleigh Pickard

Project Manager

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