Three months after its launch, our new website is making it easier for residents, workers and drivers to access public safety resources. In early surveys, users praised the site’s added resources and improved navigation.

But the work isn’t done. It might never be.

“Our goal was never to launch the site and walk away,” said Scott Theisen, website communication specialist. “We launched it with the intent to keep it growing and improving. More than 150 people contributed to the launch, and many of them are still working hard to refine and expand it.”

That ongoing effort is paying off. The new site doesn’t just look better — it works better, giving staff more efficient publishing tools. For example, instead of manually updating multiple pages across the site, staff can now publish safety information in one place, automatically updating relevant sections throughout. That gives the public faster access to critical public safety updates.

Another major improvement is the transition to a platform that will help create seamless experiences between the DPS website and third-party systems.

Theisen reports that we’ve been reviewing pain points and removing outdated documents to improve search results and prioritizing new projects.

Based on an ongoing site survey, user satisfaction increased in January by more than 50 percent, and the success rate (the percentage of users who found what they needed) by more than 39 percent.

In early February, a new “Tips” section launched on the website. This addition streamlines how the public can submit crime tips, making the process more intuitive and accessible. It also helps keep unsolved cases in the public eye.

Jill Oliveira, a communications specialist with our Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA), is one of the content editors working to expand the site’s resources like this and to add new content to the BCA site.

“When a case goes cold, sometimes the public forgets the victim,” Oliveira said. “Making it easier to share tips and get information about cases helps keep these victims from being forgotten.”

The results are already visible. Oliveira noted an increase in media coverage of unsolved cases — “more stories than I’ve seen in 15 years.” One example: The Fargo Forum recently covered a 45-year-old homicide case based in part on details from the DPS website. That story was picked up by multiple partner newspapers across central Minnesota.

“That kind of coverage is huge for victims’ families and for the investigations,” she said.

Another change has been simplifying the site’s information structure. Previously, a single page covered background checks and criminal histories, forcing users to sift through every detail to find what they needed. Our new site features multiple, categorized pages with an improved navigation system, reducing frustration and making searches more efficient.

“With every update, I remind myself that I’m speaking to everyone in Minnesota,” said Oliveira. “I hope the site helps people connect with us and better understand the work we do in their communities.”

The DPS web team has built helpful resources across the entire website, and they aren’t slowing down. Next steps include:

• Refining search tools: Our search function has administrative tools that give us the ability to adjust our search results based on analytics and keywords, to better serve our users based on the terms they use and the information they’re trying to find most often.
• Integrating additional services: Some of our agency’s online resources currently link off to separate systems. Examples include the BCA’s firearms instructor search and our Driver and Vehicle Services’ DVS Now Kiosk location map. We’re looking at how these can be built directly into the website for a more seamless user experience.
• Conducting listening sessions with users: Listening sessions will allow us to hear directly from our users in a personal way and ask follow-up questions. These two-way conversations will allow us to develop a better understanding of our users’ needs and how we can work to meet them. These sessions will result in more detailed feedback than what you’d generally get in written responses to survey questions.
• We encourage everyone in Minnesota to visit dps.mn.gov and explore the improvements firsthand! You can also provide feedback at dps.mn.gov. 

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