Moving to Chicago

Research Plan

Timeline

Competitor Research

Provisional Personas

Sitemap and User Journey Flow

Sketches

Pages

Affinity Map

Mid-Fidelity Limited Prototype

Explore

Project Brief

Adding a resource page for new residents to Chicago.gov

Nicole Marinas

Disclaimer: this project brief was created for a capstone project for Design Lab’s UX Academy. All information in this case study is my own and does not necessarily reflect the views of the City of Chicago.

Scope and Focus

⁠

Chicago.gov⁠

boasts a long list of services, resources and information for its residents on its website, from ways to pay for services to reporting incidents to the city.

Due to many changes sparked by COVID-19, the city of Chicago has seen an increase in outbound movers whose motives range from professional to lifestyle preferences. The economy is recovering and inbound movers are on the rise. Mayor Lori Lightfoot wants to ensure that these inbound movers have an easy time locating the resources and services available to them as new residents. The website does not have such a portal for new residents and its current navigation does not summarise its services and resources in a more organised fashion.

Project Background

DIVERSE, INNOVATIVE, WORLD CLASS are the first three words that greet you as you enter

Chicago.gov.⁠

The City of Chicago boasts a long history of diversity, has seen great migrations over the years, and to this day receives new residents to join its workforce or educational institutions, hailing from other states and even other countries.

Chicago was ranked by the New American Economy as the top city for immigrants in 2019, based on Job Opportunities, Liveability and Immigration Policy [1]. In 2022, Chicago received a score of 4.03, landing it fourth on this year's Index. This impressive score has dipped slightly, showing that the city could improve its score even further with more focus on Job Opportunities, Liveability, and Civic Participation. It is believed that liveability and civic participation stem from the support from the local government for its residents. The residents of Chicago, whether immigrants or out-of-state transplants, can thrive when its city advocates for them.

In 2018, a unique team was formed between the Mayor’s Office, the Department of Innovation & Technology, and the Department of Fleet and Facility Management with the goal to redesign Chicago.gov to be more efficient and effective in delivering accessible, equitable services and information to its diverse residential communities.

High-Level Design Goals and Objectives

These are the high level goals and objectives:

Consolidate all of the basic up-to-date information that any new resident needs for compliance in one page

Categorise information to ensure new residents know where to click

Other design goals

Key Features

Cards

Accordion Menu for FAQs

Buttons linking to external websites for services (ie. city clerk, US postal service)

Brand Message

Sometimes the creating we do is creating a platform that allows other people to pitch in.

–THEASTER GATES

Welcoming

Inviting

Bold

Community

Advocate

References:

[1]

https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-cb-fall-enrollment-2019-illinois-universities-20190905-ajhizgv6sfbltesmim732kiuma-story.html⁠

⁠

[2]

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2019/11/13/chicago-ranked-top-city-immigrants-new-american-economy-says/4182404002/⁠

⁠

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