The Brief

The Council required a user-friendly content management system suitable for staff with varied technical abilities, with migration from their aging CMS to our new platform with minimal disruption. While the Council wanted to retain existing design elements as visual appearance was not a priority concern, they emphasised improved information accessibility for both staff and community members.
A specific requirement focused on Council meetings display functionality where documents would appear highlighted when uploaded and greyed out when pending, allowing administrative staff to quickly identify outstanding documentation without accessing the back-end system.

Website Design

The design approach for MacDonnell Regional Council prioritised functionality and familiarity over visual redesign. Following the Council's directive to maintain existing design elements, we created a clean, user-friendly interface that preserved their established visual identity while enhancing usability.
The design emphasised simplicity over visual complexity, creating an intuitive interface that supports long-term operational sustainability. The responsive design ensures compatibility across desktop and mobile devices, providing consistent access regardless of device type. Navigation elements were strategically positioned to create streamlined pathways, enabling efficient information access for both internal staff and community members.

Website Development

The development process began with thorough planning to ensure seamless migration from the Council's aging CMS to our SparkCMS platform.
Our team focused on minimising disruption during the transition while implementing robust functionality to meet the Council's specific operational requirements.
When the Council's Marketing Officer expressed concern about system manageability by staff with limited technical skills, we prioritised intuitive interface design during implementation. The resulting system is operable by all staff including CEO and Executive Assistants, establishing a sustainable operational framework that doesn't require specialised technical knowledge to maintain.

Modules & Features

The website implementation featured several key modules customised to MacDonnell Regional Council's specific requirements. When Council staff requested specialised display for meeting documents with visual status indicators—functionality not available as standard in our SparkCMS platform—our development team customised the Council Meetings module to meet their needs.
We implemented their preferred visual indicator system where attached documents display as highlighted, while pending documents appear greyed out. This visual indication enables Council administrative staff to quickly identify outstanding uploads from the front-end without requiring back-end access.