The Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) is giving its website an updated look and functionality effective Tuesday, Nov. 15. The website address (www.health.state.mn.us) remains the same, but the upgrades will provide a better user experience – especially for those accessing the site by mobile devices.
Improved features include easier navigation, refreshed design and cleaner layout. Responsive design elements offered by a new content management system improve the user experience for those on a mobile device such as a smartphone or tablet. The updated design and layout allow for better readability and easier navigation of the site, with a new list of links at the top of a webpage to show the steps it takes to get to the page. The behind-the-scenes changes to the website also make it easier for department staff to make updates to web content.
According to Minnesota Commissioner of Health Jan Malcolm, the project has been in the works for several years. While work slowed during the COVID-19 pandemic as resources were reallocated to the response effort, the upgrade efforts continued with an adjusted timeline.
“The MDH website is a popular source of public health information for people around the state and beyond, so it’s important to make the site as functional and easy to use as possible,” Commissioner Malcolm said. “As technology and web browsing habits change, it’s important for public health websites to keep pace. To that end, we collected input from employees and the public that helped us make the site more user-friendly and appealing. We are grateful to all those who helped with this project, including MDH staff as well as our partners at Minnesota IT Services (MNIT) and the Minnesotans who gave us input along the way.”
