For Immediate Release 08.12.10
For more information, contact:
Matt Hutton : 217.351.6700
Champaign, Illinois, August 12, 2010 — Rain or shine, the Champaign-Urbana Mass Transit District transports 10 million riders annually, using a fleet of buses and advanced GPS tracking that makes the company a model of modern efficiency. Five years ago that experience was enhanced, with a new website loaded with many useful tools. But a recent customer survey conducted by MTD indicated that today's riders wanted something more.
"Our old site was major step forward," says Karl Gnadt, the district's director of market development. "We built a site that allowed customers to find their stops and plan their trips using real-time departure data, so the bones were in place. But after five years, it was time to make some changes."
"For the most part, the tools were already there," says Matt Hutton, partner and creative director at Spinlight, the Champaign agency tasked with modernizing the site. "The problem was that they were just getting lost." The reason, according to Hutton, was simply information overload. "As marketers, we usually have to persuade our clients that less is more, but that really wasn't the case with MTD. They're a company that's very in-tune with their customers, and they were fully committed to create a website that — much like their service — helped their guest find the shortest path from A to B."
That task involved assembling a joint development team and looking at the website from a broader perspective. "We basically took a step back and asked ourselves what riders really needed," explains Hutton. "Then we reassembled those tools to make trip planning easier and more sophisticated at the same time." Much of the latter element was provided by Sean Sartell, MTD's internal software developer, who worked with Spinlight to integrate Google search results into the site's design.
"Searching for a stop or planning a trip is a lot more intuitive now," says Sartell. "You don't even need an address. Just plug in any store, landmark or intersection in the twin cities, and we'll get you there — with detailed, point-to-point directions and real-time departure details." Riders can also export their itineraries to Google Transit for a detailed map of their trip.
The end result was a site with highly integrated tools, as well as bold new look. "I think the entire team did a remarkable job," says Gnadt. "We had a really tight turnaround on this project, and if anyone had dropped the ball, we wouldn't have met our target. I was very impressed with the way that Spinlight worked with our internal team to deliver everything we required. It looks great. It functions smarter. And we're already hearing from our customers that they're excited about the change."
Visit the Champaign Urbana Mass Transit District.
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About Spinlight Studio
Since its founding in 2000, Spinlight Studio has won over 150 local, regional and national awards, including 46 American Graphic Design Awards and 48 ADDYs. Located on South Staley Road in Champaign, the company offers a full range of print, broadcast and digital marketing services for a range of local and regional clients.