to modernize technology and improve user experience

LANSING, Mich. -- Prioritizing ease of access to government services for all Michiganders, the state of Michigan will begin launching refreshed websites that take advantage of the latest technology and design for all state departments beginning Jan. 14, 2022.

“My top priority is to bring Michigan’s government into the 21st century at every level,” said Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist II. “Providing friendly, easy-to-use, and intuitive websites and digital services is key to that mission. Today’s announcement is a step forward in our efforts to serve the 32 million users visiting state websites each month and meet the needs of the people who live, work, visit, and do business in Michigan.”

Later this week, 19 state agency websites will be launched as part of the new Michigan.gov portal. Additional websites will be launched monthly through April 2022. The new websites are the result of a multi-year statewide website content management replacement project to update and replace over 110 executive branch websites. The initial launch is just the beginning of efforts to continue streamlining content and making continuous improvements to the user experience.

Led by the Michigan Department of Technology, Management & Budget (DTMB) and supported by teams from across the state, the project was initiated in late 2017 after receiving funding approval from the Michigan Legislature. Replacing a 20-year-old platform, the project included the review and overhauling of more than 170,000 web pages and 133GB of digital assets.

“Our goal is to improve user experience for the public, bridge agency content experiences, and create a more flexible and user-friendly content management environment for staff and site visitors,” stated Suzanne Pauley, DTMB eMichigan director. “We are excited about our multisite capabilities, and, longer-term, the ability to personalize content at a global level for visitors."

Benefits of the new website include:

• Aligning websites under a unified state of Michigan brand making experiences more consistent and user friendly,
• Modernizing system architecture, supporting omnichannel content management, and integrating content personalization functionality.
• Standardizing site navigation and expanding content accessibility.
• Integrating social media directly on websites.

Following recognition from the Center for Digital Government for being named the top U.S. government state for overall experience in 2021, the project reinforces Michigan's longstanding work of enhancing online government services and improving overall user experience for Michiganders.

For more information, visit Michigan.gov.

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