In 2020, COVID-19 came to the forefront and much of life went remote. With this, it became clear how much of a digital divide there was for certain members of the population. And this lack of access severely impacted the way people could work, obtain education, and thrive. Enter the Franklin County Digital Equity Coalition.
When the Coalition approached us in 2021, the project was twofold. First, we needed to build a website the Coalition could point to as a digital equity hub and resource. Second, we needed to create an embeddable widget to run an Internet speed test and conduct a brief survey. The widget would give people the ability to see if their Internet speed was true to what providers advertised, or if there was a discrepancy. This would give the public tools to help advocate for themselves. The Coalition also needed to collect data and analyze trends about Internet speeds in the Columbus area. This data would help them address equity issues. Additionally, we needed to give the Coalition a platform to distribute information and get people involved in their cause.
To tackle the two products at the same time, the Buckeye team split into two groups: one focused on the widget, and one on the website. Because of this, close collaboration and clear communication was required amongst the groups and the Coalition.
For the website, our content team determined the key navigation and messaging to help the Coalition achieve its goals for the site. And for the widget, the content team wrote copy and identified essential questions needed within the survey. Meanwhile, our design team created a clean, consistent look across both platforms, ensuring brand identity. And our development team constructed the site and widget to allow for future growth, thus making it easy for the Coalition to build upon as their goals expand.
As a result, the Coalition now has two products that flow seamlessly together that they can use to advocate for digital equity in Franklin County, Ohio.