MPUC Website Re-Design

Lesley McCaw, InforME

January, 2009

The Maine Public Utilities Commission and InforME are pleased to announce the launch of the re-designed MPUC website. Recognizing the need to provide a more user-friendly and accessible website, the Public Utilities Commission partnered with InforME for the redesign. The Maine state agency website template was used as the basis for the re-design, helping to bring the agency site into compliance with the State's standards for usability and accessibility. The new site was launched on January 8, 2009 and can be found at: http://www.maine.gov/mpuc .

During the re-design process, InforME gathered and analyzed sites statistics to identify major user groups and the site's most visited content to help determine the navigation architecture for the new site. During this research phase, InforME found a significant need to prominently display the latest news, upcoming events and most frequently visited pages on the home page of the website, where they would be easily located by both utility companies and general public. Another need that was identified was to consolidate the user-based paths of the old site make it easier for all groups to access information related to a regulated utility regardless of the type of user. To accomplish this, the new site offers a section for each of the major regulated utilities in the site-wide left navigation, as well as sections to link to areas dedicated to doing business with the MPUC.

The new site also makes extensive use of “What's New”, an enterprise tool created by InforME to help manage large volumes of standardized content more easily and efficiently. Examples of content that is being managed through “What's New” on the new MPUC site include: News, Events and Deliberations, Commissioner Profiles, Job Opportunities, Frequently Asked Questions, Lists of Electricity Suppliers, Standard Offer Disclosure Labels, Filings, Legislative Reports, CAD Bulletins, and Docketed Case Listings. For more information about the What's New tool and other enterprise tools that agency sites hosted by InforME have access to, please visit http://www.maine.gov/informe/state/enterprise/index.htm .

If your agency would like more information about working with InforME to re-design your website, the following webpage provides information to help get you started http://www.maine.gov/informe/state/design/getting_started.htm .