Municipality of Heerlen: a smooth path to accessibility & efficiency

How do you ensure that a municipal website not only meets strict accessibility standards, but is also user-friendly and efficient for everyone? The municipality of Heerlen took up this challenge with us and achieved a great result: a modern, accessible website that both residents and business owners have embraced.

Website project group with the new website in the background

"We wanted a website that not only met legal accessibility guidelines, but was also easy and intuitive to use for residents and business owners. With Shift2, we achieved those goals," says Yaël van den Bosch along with Maureen Bisscheroux, communications staff and those responsible for the website at the municipality of Heerlen.

Finding your way easily

The Municipality of Heerlen's new website was designed entirely with the user in mind. "The structure of our previous site was not optimal, so visitors could easily get lost," says Yaël. Thanks in part to the help of Shift2, navigation is now much more natural. "Through user testing with residents, we developed a menu structure that makes sense and helps users quickly find the information they are looking for. We have not only increased usability, but also made the website look visually calmer and attractive." This means that both residents and business owners can find their way effortlessly, without hassle or frustration.

Home page new website Municipality of Heerlen

Comments and glimpses into the future

The launch of heerlen.nl generated many positive reactions. "Residents especially appreciate the tranquility and overview on the site. The clear layout makes it much easier to find the right information," shares Maureen. But it doesn't stop there. The municipality is already looking ahead to the next steps, such as achieving A status in digital accessibility. "We are always looking for ways to improve the experience for our users. In the coming period, one of the things we will be working on is further optimizing accessibility."

Knowledge that matters

The Municipality of Heerlen was extremely pleased with the expertise we bring as an organization. "Shift2 has a lot of knowledge in different areas. This broad expertise really came to the fore during the project," said Yaël. In addition, the proactive attitude was much appreciated: "It was a relief that we didn't have to reinvent the wheel ourselves. Shift2 always came up with solutions and ideas, often before we thought of them ourselves. They really unburdened us, which made collaboration a lot easier and more efficient."

A true partnership

At Shift2, we strive for more than just a collaboration; we want to establish a true partnership. "The informal but goal-oriented atmosphere ensured that we could always move quickly. It really felt like a partnership, where we worked together toward the same goals," says Maureen. This partnership allows us to effectively address both technical and strategic issues.

"Shift2's staff are not only professional experts, but also just really nice people. That makes the cooperation very pleasant."

Municipality of Heerlen, if you are reading this: we would love to visit you again, because you are also just a very nice municipality to work with! ;)

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