Stirling Council has launched a survey to help inform the development of its new website to provide a better service to local residents.

The local authority is working with digital transformation consultancy Storm ID to shape a refreshed portal based on users’ needs.

The survey will help developers understand how people want to find information on the council website, which had around 2.5million visits in 2020.

Cllr Margaret Brisley, convener of the council’s finance and economy committee, said: “The council website is the digital face of the local authority and a vital tool for communicating and engaging with residents. 

“Asking users for their experiences of accessing the website will help us deliver a high quality, accessible and trusted platform for the people of Stirling.

“The survey should only take a few minutes and you will have the option at the end if you want to take part in further research on the new website design. If you are interested in helping us produce a better website, please get involved.”

In recent months website users have been invited to take part in a ‘tree tests’, which asked a range of questions based on navigating some of the website’s most popular functionality, such as paying Council Tax or reporting an issue. 

Cllr Alison Laurie, Vice Convener, said: “I would like to thank everyone who took part in our ‘tree test’ surveys – your feedback will shape how the new site will look and work.

“We are now at the next stage in the development process and this is an opportunity for the public to tell us why and how they use the current website.

“The new website will be key to how the Council interacts and engages with residents, and I would encourage as many people to take part in this questionnaire and help us take this next step in our digital transformation.”

The objectives of the exercise include:

  • Understanding what people use the website for
  • Understanding how the website currently works for users
  • What ways people prefer to contact the council
  • Identifying people to take part in further research on the website.