Reimagining Inner West Council’s Digital Experience

Inner West Council’s previous website had evolved into a complex and fragmented digital environment, with navigation structured around internal departments rather than community needs.Residents struggled to access essential services, events and information across thousands of pages and documents.The challenge was to redesign the platform around real user tasks while maintaining accessibility, migrating a large volume of content and supporting high daily traffic. At the same time, the digital experience needed to reflect the character of the Inner West and feel familiar to the people who use it.

Digital Garden led a research-driven redesign focused on aligning the platform to real user needs. Discovery workshops, stakeholder engagement and tree testing informed a new, task-based information architecture.A component-based design system was developed to balance accessibility and usability with a distinctive visual language inspired by the Inner West’s streets, signage and public spaces. The interface translates these familiar cues into a cohesive digital experience without compromising clarity.The platform was rebuilt on Drupal with structured content models, streamlined editorial workflows and improved governance, transforming a fragmented content ecosystem into a clear, scalable system.

The Inner West Council website demonstrates how local government platforms can move beyond purely functional service delivery into clear, community-centred digital experiences.Residents can now access essential services quickly and intuitively, reducing friction in everyday interactions such as waste collection, events and local services. Accessibility improvements ensure the platform is inclusive and usable for a broad range of users.For Council, the platform improves operational efficiency through structured content, stronger governance and streamlined publishing workflows.More broadly, the project strengthens the connection between Council and community by translating a strong sense of place into the digital environment — building trust, recognition and engagement across both physical and online experiences.

Task-driven information architecture - Navigation validated through research and tree testing, ensuring users can complete common tasks quickly based on real needs rather than internal structures.Accessible by design - Built to WCAG 2.2 AA standards, with components designed for readability, keyboard navigation and screen-reader compatibility.Design grounded in place - The visual language draws from the Inner West’s streets, signage and public spaces, creating a digital experience that feels familiar and recognisable.Location-aware community discovery - Events surfaced based on suburb or geolocation, helping residents quickly find relevant local activities.Service lookup tools - Address-based tools simplify complex information such as bin collection and verge mowing into fast, mobile-friendly interactions.Future-ready platform - Drupal-based architecture with structured content and governance, supporting long-term scalability and ongoing digital evolution.