Page last updated on September 7, 2021 at 2:59 pm
For more information, please contact
Rick Dietz, ITS Director, dietzr@bloomington.in.gov, 812-349-3485
The Challenge
How do you let the City know when you have a concern about potholes, graffiti, or trash in Bloomington? You can try calling, but it might be after hours, or you might get put on hold… To give residents a more accessible way of contacting the City about their concerns, the Information and Technology Services (ITS) Department created the uReport website. Each kind of request or concern received through uReport is routed to the appropriate point of contact in the right department so residents don’t have to try to figure out which department handles their kind of request/concern. Residents are also kept updated about the status of their request. uReport was not initially developed for use on phones or tablets, however. Given that 60% of site traffic was coming from mobile users, uReport needed to change.
The Idea
ITS completely redesigned the uReport website to be visually driven by large icons and to adjust content on the screen depending on the kind of device being used. This process considered the majority of users and screen sizes and made adjustments to respond to how residents were interacting with the website. The new streamlined look made it easier for everyone to utilize one of the city’s vital response mechanisms regardless of their device.
The redesigned uReport was originally an app, however, the codebase for apps must be continually be updated - an effort that takes ITS staff away from other work. For that reason, ITS discontinued the app, and maintains the tool on the City’s website.
To submit YOUR request or concern see: https://bloomington.in.gov/ureport/
The Cost
To the cost to complete the re-design consisted of time from ITS staff.
The Benefit
The benefit of a mobile-friendly uReport system is that it meets residents “where they are” - which is largely on their phones! Mobile use for accessing City services will only grow in the future and uReport is paving the way for how the City responds to the needs of residents.
Metadata
City Department(s): Information and Technology Services
City Department Point(s) of Contact: Rick Dietz
Partner(s): n/a
Partner Point(s) of Contact: n/a
Type of Innovation: Techical/Software
Date Implemented: 2018