The city of Arlington, Texas, sought to modernize its digital presence, aiming to create a more intuitive, appealing and user-centered website that better serves its community. With a tight timeline and high expectations, the city turned to Granicus to lead a digital transformation backed by data. The result was a streamlined, research-driven and attractive website that makes it seamless for the public to find everything they need online.
SITUATION: CONTENT OVERLOAD
Arlington’s previous website faced several challenges that hindered its effectiveness. The user experience was compromised by a structure rooted in departmental organization, which made it difficult for citizens to navigate and locate relevant information without an encyclopedic knowledge of Arlington government. This led to increased frustration, more phone calls to the agency, and a pool of citizens lacking pertinent information about events, local updates, etc.
There was also a severe case of content overload — years of accumulated, outdated and redundant landing pages cluttered the site, interfering with its usability and clarity. The platform had become overly customized, making it difficult to manage and update without substantial technical effort. It also lacked the flexibility departments needed to highlight timely or important information on the homepage, leading to frustration and inefficiencies across teams.
Paired with declining support from their existing website vendor, the Arlington team knew it was time for a change — even though it meant a tight timeline to launch a new site before the end of their existing contract.
SOLUTION: RESIDENT-FIRST APPROACH
Arlington selected Granicus, as Government Experience Cloud was the only platform that met its high expectations when it came to website needs and allowed for evolving integrations with its communications and digital service capabilities. The implementation process was a collaborative effort, marked by strong project management and a research-first approach led by Granicus’ internal team of experts, the Granicus Experience Group (GXG).
“With a tight timeline, we worked closely with the Granicus sales and project teams to tailor an implementation plan that fit our needs,” said Jay Warren, director of communication and legislative affairs at Arlington. “The GXG team was phenomenal — conducting in-depth research, surveys and user analysis that helped us make a compelling case for shifting from a department-centered to a user-centered website.
“This was my fourth website project with the city of Arlington, and it was by far the most research-driven and effective,” Warren added. “The insights we gained, particularly around navigation, were unmatched. It’s hard to argue with data that clearly shows what users want and how they behave.”
RESULTS: DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION "HOME RUN"
Since the launch, the city has received virtually no complaints from the public — only a few minor questions that were quickly resolved thanks to the website’s improved intuitiveness. A total of 74 forms were created, and the old website’s 1,953 cluttered pages of content were cut to 936 — a boast-worthy 52 percent decrease in webpages.
Perhaps most impressively, the implementation process was smooth and efficient, completed on time in just nine months. The GXG team was widely praised for delivering a seamless experience that exceeded expectations.
Other key wins from the launch included:
- Content strategy and cleanup: Using extensive surveys, user research and data-driven insights from the GXG team, departments were guided through a structured content audit. They removed pages based on engagement rate, relevance and user clicks — resulting in more purposeful content and a 40 percent improvement in findability of key information (like trash and water services).
- Resident-first design: Intuitive navigation and action-driven information architecture were built from the resident’s perspective rather than the city’s internal departmental structure. Citizens can now search for the information and resources they need more efficiently, leading to less frustration and better-informed residents.
- Hands-on workshops: Arlington staff participated in several Granicus-led workshops, including the Digital Services Academy, which provided tools and training to support the shift from PDFs to more streamlined digital services, improving both usability and accessibility.
Arlington’s digital transformation was, in their own words, “a home run.” By partnering with Granicus, the city successfully delivered a modern, user-friendly website that reflects its commitment to transparency, accessibility and resident-first service.
