In 2016 Statistics Netherlands (CBS) launched a new website (cbs.nl). This was a huge project. While the old website was still online, the new website had to be designed, customized, all the content had to be adjusted, renewed, transferred and new content had to be created. Also the editors had to be trained to use the new content management system. As a webmaster of the project migration team I helped out with reconstructing the pages, creating and surging new images, optimizing the website and gave advise to some of the editors, using programs and coding languages such as HTML, CSS, Photoshop and SiteImprove. Also I helped out at the print and video department.
Statistics Netherlands launches new website cbs.nl
05/04/2016 / 12:00
User oriented, easily accessible and visually attractive: these are the key concepts for the completely revamped CBS website, which goes live today. Announcing its new website today, Statistics Netherlands (CBS) explains that its main focus is now on news releases, using a clear design and a wealth of visual material. Users can find information and underlying data just by clicking on the news item.
Greater accessibility
CBS Director General Tjark Tjin-A-Tsoi explains: “With the new website, we have enhanced the accessibility of our data and news releases. For example, by adding more visual content. This means we can share our knowledge and expertise with society better and more effectively.”
The ‘responsive design’ of the website makes it suitable for use on any device, including smartphones; the website can scale up or down to fit the device it is used on. This makes it just as easy to use on a smartphone or tablet as on a laptop or desktop. The old version of cbs.nl had been operational since 2005 and was technically outdated. Its content has largely been incorporated into the new version of cbs.nl.
Renewal
With nearly 4 million unique site visitors a year, CBS plans to renew its site continuously. A link to a preview version of the new website has been available on cbs.nl since last week. Based on the input and feedback received from its users, CBS aims to incorporate improvements into future versions of the site several times a year, allowing for new functionalities to be added at the same time. The technology behind the new website makes it easier for CBS to further improve the accessibility of all its data in the future, not only on the site (e.g. by adding videos and livestreaming) but also through open data. Tjin-A-Tsoi: “The new website makes it much easier for us to respond to the changing needs of users in the years ahead.”
Read the this article on the CBS website: https://www.cbs.nl/en-gb/news/2016/14/statistics-netherlands-launches-new-website-cbs-nl
