On Thursday, the City of Pocatello unveiled the newly redesigned site. The new look leans on the Pocatello flag, utilizing the flag’s colors and elements in the site. The photo slideshow on the main page features work by local photographers (Eric Gordon, Charles Peterson, and Rob Kirkham) and the in-house camera talents of Chief Information Officer Chris Sorensen and Audio/Visual Technician Ken Wilson. The photos chosen highlight the iconic structures, beautiful scenery, and numerous activities enjoyed by residents in the Pocatello area. The main page also features a sketch of the Portneuf Valley by Engineering Department Project Manager Maggie Clark. Cost of the redesign was included in the City’s contract with its website provider, CivicPlus.
“When we became eligible for a no-cost redesign from CivicPlus, we knew we wanted to shed the Old West image and embrace a design that celebrates the city flag,” said Rick Satterfield, Webmaster. “The end result is a bright, modern look that harmonizes the longtime City logo with the colors and symbols of the flag.”
On the functionality end, navigation on department pages has been improved through the use of icons and buttons have been added to direct users to the City’s multiple social media channels, along with general improvements to the layout of the site.
“Improved mobile compatibility was a major goal of the redesign effort since we see the percentage of mobile visitors to the website increase every year,” Satterfield said.
In 2020, there were over 500,000 visits to the site with 61 percent of users accessing it on a mobile device.
The city is also asking for comment on the redesigned site. Users can go to pocatello.us and fill out the form to let City officials know what they think of the new site and what features they would like to see added in the future.