The Challenge
The Colorado Judicial Branch (CJB) is an important judicial center run by 3,500 staff that support more than 300 judges across the state. The agency relies on the Colorado Courts public-facing website and Judicialnet intranet for both internal and external communication. Both sites were suffering from outdated technology and limited site administration, content management, and usability. Visitors to the public site found the structure and organization confusing due to duplicated and conflicting content, unfriendly navigation, and poor accessibility. CJB put out a public bid to redesign and rebuild the public website to be user-centered, easily navigable, and accessible, with a refreshed UI, and to consolidate the intranet.
Our Approach
As the selected vendor, GovWebworks (GWW) set out first to develop a new site for Colorado Courts that adhered to user-centered design principles and focused on usability, accessibility, and mobile-friendliness. During the discovery phase, we conducted comprehensive user research, focus groups, and stakeholder interviews. This user information contributed to improvements to the site’s information architecture, navigation, and content strategy. It also provided insight for the development of the low-fidelity wireframes and high-fidelity mock-ups based on design workshops and incorporating state branding guidelines. Following an agile Scrum process, the development team began implementation of a robust Drupal CMS that could support the CJB’s diverse, long-term content management needs and adhere to WCAG 2.1 AA standards for accessibility.
The Result
The new Colorado Courts public website features a modern, inviting design that is accessible to all users, including those using mobile devices and assistive technologies. Improved navigation and a streamlined content strategy enhances the user experience and content findability. The redesigned platform supports the diverse needs of the general public, legal professionals, and court administrators while ensuring long-term sustainability and ease of maintenance.
