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Transformation of a Federal Court Website

United States District Court: The Southern District of New York

United States District Court: The Southern District of New York website cover

Client Info

The United States District Court for the Southern District of New York has a storied history that even predates the U.S. Supreme Court. Originally named the District Court of New York, the court’s first presiding judge was appointed by President George Washington in 1789.

Frequently in the news for high-profile cases, the breadth of the court’s civil docket is far reaching and includes cases in the area of civil rights, labor and employment laws, antitrust, securities laws, environmental laws, and patent, trademark and copyright. Criminal cases include bank robbery, financial fraud, immigration frauds, distribution of illegal substances, and racketeering.

The Southern District of New York now encompasses counties of New York, Bronx, Westchester, Rockland, Putnam, Orange, Dutchess, and Sullivan, and hears cases in Manhattan, White Plains, and Poughkeepsie.
 

Industry

Federal Government

Top challenge

• Home-grown CMS did not provide a straightforward solution for non-technical content editors to make updates as needed.
• Information and resources were difficult to locate.
• The site's design needed to demonstrate the court’s commitment to support the U.S. Constitution and its people
• The navigation needed to provide a visual hierarchy for information based on importance.
• Hundreds of documents and forms available to users needed to be organized in a logical and easily accessible manner.
• Non-technical content editors needed to to be able to easily make updates and edit content.

Top solution

• Implementation of a Drupal 8 CMS enabled non-technical administrators to edit the site.
• A refined menu system was designed to serve primary user groups with streamlined navigation..
• A new design language provided a closer connection to the court’s heritage and the diversity of the people it serves.
• A redesigned UI and templated page system provided an engaging layout that prioritizes key information.
• A consistent organization structure and taxonomy system for the site and its documents enabled users to more easily find needed information.
• Creation of content types for reusable content for drove consistency.
U.S. District Court SDNY new page
U.S. District Court SDNY judges page
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What We Did

Starting with a comprehensive Discovery Workshop, Promet Source collaborated with SDNY to transform their entire web presence. We replaced their difficult-to-maintain, home-grown site with a visually engaging framework built on Drupal 8. The solution identified distinct user groups and provided clear pathways for navigation while maintaining the dignity and prestige of the court's history.

Southern District of New York website
Southern District of New York website

Enhanced User Experience

The new persona-based categorization system revolutionized how users interact with the site. Jurors, attorneys, and individuals seeking information can now easily identify their needs and drill down to relevant resources through intuitive filtering and refinement options. This targeted approach significantly reduced time spent searching for information and improved overall user satisfaction.

Southern District of New York website

Empowered Content Management

The implementation of Drupal 8 transformed how court staff manages website content. Non-technical content editors can now easily update and maintain the site through a user-friendly interface with varying permission levels. This capability ensures the website remains current and relevant without requiring technical expertise or external support.

Streamlined Resource Access

The new system introduced a logical organization structure for hundreds of documents and forms. Through careful taxonomy implementation and intuitive filtering options, users can now quickly locate and access needed resources. This organization system significantly improved the efficiency of document retrieval and reduced user frustration.

The Result

The transformation earned recognition with a 26th Annual Communicator Award of Distinction in 2019. The new website successfully balances modern functionality with the court's prestigious heritage, providing an accessible, user-friendly experience that serves diverse user groups effectively while maintaining the dignity of the institution.

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Strategy & Research

  • Discovery Workshop facilitation
  • Information architecture design
  • Taxonomy development

Design & UX

  • Modern design language development
  • Template system creation
  • User interface redesign
  • Persona-based navigation design

Development

  • Drupal 8 implementation
  • Content type creation
  • Content migration
  • Permission level setup

Content & Organization

  • Document organization system
  • Menu structure refinement
  • Content categorization
  • Resource filtering system implementation

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