Shire of Quairading
PROJECT SCOPE: BRANDING, LOGO DESIGN, WEB DESIGN INDUSTRY: SERVICE
The Shire of Quairading is a wheatbelt town, situated 170km east of Perth, employed PWD to rebuild its old site into one that was comprehensive and combined features for those living in Quaiarading, those looking to explore the surrounding areas, and a portal for council members to store minutes and agendas.
Overview
As a local government site, while we had strict guidelines that we had to work with for the brand guidelines, usability, functionality, and security, we delivered strong UX and UI elements to keep the site engaging and simple to use.
To demonstrate all that Quairading has to offer, our videographer spent some time at the Shire executing a full photo and video shoot, which can be seen in the banner video as well as across the site.
The homepage features ‘quicklinks’ that overlap on top of the video, designed as a ‘directory’ for the most used pages, to ensure people of all ages and technology literacy can use the site easily.
Living In Quairading
As one of the top navigation items, this option was designed for those who visited the site most – those who lived in the shire! We wanted to house everything they require accessibly within a few clicks.
A well-mapped-out navigation with a mega-menu and consistent internal page design, which also had a sidebar menu, meant easy navigation to every and any page.
Other unique items included:
- An eCommerce payment system to pay rates directly through the website
- An information hub for common questions
- In response to rural and wheatbelt pet owners’ need for information on registration, sterilization, and ownership, we created content pages with relevant details
- Registration forms with payment gateways
Multiple pages were designed and built for those looking for details in areas such as:
- Recycling and waste manangement
- Community services
- Venue hire
- Cemetery bookings
- Airstrip information
- Volunteer details
Business Directory
For a small shire like Quairading, knowing who your suppliers are, where they are, and how to contact them is paramount to make sure that those living, exploring or staying in Quairading always have a constantly evolving resource to be used.
We put together a straightforward business directory where each contact had a combination of emails, contacts numbers, address(es) plus website and a PO box. They were also tagged against a range of industries to help simplify the search.
Exploring Quairading
This component was filled with pages showcasing what the town of Quairading offers, ideal for travelers passing through, newcomers, or businesses considering a move to the Shire. It includes essential information on local accommodations, dining, parks, tourist attractions, and even the gym for fitness enthusiasts.
A directory lists accommodation options with images and links for online booking or more details. The venue page meets specific needs, enabling users to view, filter, and review rentable spaces and items like chairs, speakers, tables, and the community bus. eCommerce features and plugin integrations make it easy for the Shire of Quairading to manage inventory, availability, and payments smoothly.
Unique Something
My Council
My Council is a very important part of the site, functioning as both a way to store past council agendas and minutes over the years, and display relevant information for the council members.
Like the rest of the site, it followed the similar top nav styling, so that the sidebar was filled with easy-to-understand titles, and allowed someone to find whatever they needed quickly and simply.
The My Council portal contains:
- Council and committee information and details
- News pages
- Employment within the council information
- Local laws and legislation text
- Tenders and grant details
Final Outcome
The Shire of Quairading website build was a noteworthy and very rewarding build for the PWD team as we we were elevating the Shire’s online presence, with the intention to contribute to population, local business and tourism growth.
With a lot of components, a detailed project plan and mapping for each component was required, with the final outcome being a very functional website for the council members as well as the community, as well as a visually appealing website.