DAS builds customer-focused Web site
-- DAS Office of Communications, July 2003

The DAS Web site was redesigned during fiscal year 2002 to better enable customers to find information.

The customer-centric site, which is based on the State of Ohio Web portal, features multiple means of navigation. Those unfamiliar with the agency's structure can take advantage of the intentions-based design, which enables visitors to go directly to the service or information they seek without having to know the structure of DAS. Such visitors click on the audience category under which they fall.

The categories, found across the top of the site, are contractors/vendors, government entities, state employees and the public.

As an example, a state employee interested in comparing health-care providers can click "for State Employees" on the DAS home page, then "Employee Benefits" followed by "Benefits Comparison Chart and Guide."

Visitors familiar with the previous site, which was organization-driven, can still find information by division and then by office using the left-side navigational bar.

Other navigational tools are the DAS logo at the top right and the Ohio.gov logo at the top left of the higher level pages. Clicking on these logos takes visitors back to the DAS home page and the State of Ohio home page, respectively.

Other highlights of the site are the multiple locations through which customers can find contact information. The site also features expanded information about DAS, such as membership affiliations and the table of organization.

Enhancements to the Web site during fiscal year 2003 included the addition of the DAS eNewsCenter, a site containing articles about DAS initiatives, services, programs, achievements and events. The site contains current news and serves as an archive for agency articles. This electronic means of communication replaced three print newsletters. A total of 70 articles were posted to the site during its first nine months.