San Antonio Police Department–Website Design & Development

Overview

In collaboration with Firecat Studio as a HUB subcontractor, Kaeppel embarked on a pivotal project with the San Antonio Police Department (SAPD). Our core mission revolved around migrating the SAPD website from its previous domain, sanantonio.gov, to the more streamlined SA.gov. Additionally, we facilitated user-centric design workshops. The outcome of these sessions were tested prototypes, significantly reducing developmental friction.

Areas of Improvement

  1. Website Migration: The need was evident: transition the SAPD website to a new domain, offering the city’s residents a more straightforward and memorable access point.
  2. User Experience: While functional, there was room for the SAPD website to offer a more enriched user experience, making information retrieval more intuitive.
  3. Vendor Engagement Model: Beyond the immediate project, we aspired to transform our collaboration into a benchmark for future vendor interactions with the city of San Antonio.

Challenge

Website migration, especially for a city’s critical department, goes beyond mere content transfer. It’s about ensuring a smooth transition of all functionalities, maintaining uninterrupted public service. Simultaneously, optimizing user experience, given the diverse user base of a police department’s website, called for profound insights and understanding. Working harmoniously with the city’s ITSD team added layers of complexity, as we aimed to set an unparalleled standard for vendor engagement.

Solution

With a meticulous migration plan in place, we ensured a seamless transition of all components of the original website to SA.gov. Alongside, our alliance with Firecat Studio enriched the user-tested design workshops, culminating in prototypes that brilliantly countered developmental challenges. These prototypes were pivotal in producing a user-friendly final website. Our close-knit collaboration with the city’s ITSD team, facilitated in part by our partnership with Firecat Studio as a HUB subcontractor, was instrumental in not only meeting our project objectives but also in sculpting a vendor engagement paradigm that San Antonio could look upon with pride.

Houston Community College – Website Program Management

Overview

Houston Community College (HCC) aimed to modernize its website to better serve its diverse user base. They required experienced developers familiar with the TerminalFour Content Management System (CMS) and expertise in managing the website as a program. HCC partnered with Kaeppel Consulting for this critical project.

The Challenge

Houston Community College faced several challenges:

  • Stakeholder Management: Ensuring all stakeholder requirements were met.
  • Program Management: Managing the website as a program rather than a project.
  • Content Management Expertise: Finding experienced developers for the TerminalFour CMS.

Our Solution

Kaeppel Consulting provided a comprehensive solution that included:

  1. Experienced Developers: Sourced developers with expertise in TerminalFour CMS.
  2. Program Management: Managed the website as a program, focusing on continuous improvements and stakeholder engagement.
  3. User-Centered Design: Developed a modern, user-focused website that addressed the needs of multiple user types.

Results

Kaeppel Consulting’s efforts resulted in the successful launch of a new, modern website on time. The website highlighted the size and quality of HCC and its dedication to education, while ensuring all technical requirements and third-party integrations were met. The new website addressed user requirements through an intuitive architecture and design process.

Conclusion

Kaeppel Consulting’s program management and content management expertise enabled Houston Community College to launch a modern, user-focused website that met stakeholder needs and technical requirements.

The City of San Antonio ITSD – Website Replatform User Studies & Survey Analysis

Overview

The City of San Antonio’s Information Technology Services Department (ITSD) sought to replatform their website to enhance user experience and performance. To achieve this, they required extensive user research and survey analysis. The City of San Antonio partnered with Kaeppel Consulting for this critical project.

 

The Challenge

  1. The City of San Antonio ITSD faced several challenges:

    • User Experience: Improving the overall user experience of the website.
    • Performance Metrics: Establishing key performance indicators (KPIs) and baselines for the existing site.
    • Comprehensive Analysis: Conducting thorough user research and survey analysis to inform the replatforming effort.

Our Solution

Kaeppel Consulting provided a comprehensive solution that included:

  1. User Research: Conducted extensive user task analysis and facilitated 1:1 interviews to gather insights.
  2. Survey Analysis: Analyzed survey data to identify user needs and preferences.
  3. KPI Establishment: Established KPIs and baselines for the existing site to measure performance improvements.

Results

Kaeppel Consulting’s efforts resulted in the successful replatforming of the City of San Antonio’s website, informed by extensive user research and survey analysis. The new platform enhanced user experience and performance, meeting the established KPIs.

Conclusion

Kaeppel Consulting’s expert user research and survey analysis enabled the City of San Antonio ITSD to successfully replatform their website. Our tailored approach ensured the new platform met user needs and improved overall performance.

The City of San Antonio Employee Experience – ITSD Front Door (IT Request Intake)

Overview

The City of San Antonio aimed to improve their IT request intake process through the ITSD Front Door initiative. To achieve this, they needed a comprehensive and executable solution that streamlined the intake process and enhanced user experience. The City of San Antonio partnered with Kaeppel Consulting for this project.

 

The Challenge

  1. The City of San Antonio faced several challenges:

    • Complex IT Requests: Managing a wide range of IT requests efficiently.
    • User Experience: Ensuring a user-friendly intake process for city employees.
    • Streamlined Process: Creating a streamlined process that reduced bottlenecks and improved efficiency.

Our Solution

Kaeppel Consulting provided a holistic solution that included:

  1. Design Sprint: Facilitated a design sprint to create an executable solution for the IT request intake process.
  2. Stakeholder Engagement: Conducted stakeholder interviews and workshops to gather insights and ensure alignment with project goals.
  3. Prototype Testing: Developed and tested prototypes to identify and prioritize requirements.

Results

Kaeppel Consulting’s efforts resulted in a tested prototype and prioritized requirements for the ITSD Front Door initiative. The streamlined process improved efficiency and enhanced the user experience for city employees making IT requests.

Conclusion

Kaeppel Consulting’s comprehensive approach enabled the City of San Antonio to improve their IT request intake process through the ITSD Front Door initiative. Our tailored solution ensured a streamlined and user-friendly process that met the city’s needs.

The City of San Antonio 311 – AI-Based Voice Response System

Overview

The City of San Antonio 311 service aimed to enhance its voice response system using artificial intelligence (AI). To ensure the system met user needs and functioned effectively, they required expert validation and testing. The City of San Antonio partnered with Kaeppel Consulting for this project.

The Challenge

  1. The City of San Antonio 311 service faced several challenges:

    • System Validation: Ensuring the AI-based voice response system functioned as intended.
    • User Testing: Recruiting and testing the system with a diverse group of users.
    • Continuous Improvement: Iterating on the system based on user feedback to enhance functionality.

Our Solution

Kaeppel Consulting provided a comprehensive solution that included:

  1. Stakeholder Interviews: Conducted interviews to gather insights and ensure the system aligned with user needs.
  2. User Recruitment and Testing: Recruited a diverse group of users to test the voice response system.
  3. Iterative Improvement: Used feedback from testing to make iterative improvements to the system.

Results

Kaeppel Consulting’s efforts resulted in the successful launch of an interactive AI-based voice response system that met user needs and functioned effectively. Continuous improvement based on user feedback ensured the system remained user-friendly and efficient.

Conclusion

Kaeppel Consulting’s expert validation and testing enabled the City of San Antonio 311 service to enhance its voice response system with AI. Our tailored approach ensured the system met user needs and functioned effectively.

The City of San Antonio Public Works – Community Studies & Digital Strategy

Overview

The City of San Antonio Public Works department needed to develop a comprehensive digital strategy that included community co-design sessions and future-proofing their digital tools. To achieve this, they required expert facilitation and strategic planning. The City of San Antonio partnered with Kaeppel Consulting for this initiative.

The Challenge

  1. The City of San Antonio Public Works department faced several challenges:

    • Community Engagement: Effectively engaging with the community to gather input and feedback.
    • Digital Strategy: Developing a forward-thinking digital strategy that would meet future needs.
    • Compliance: Ensuring that new tools and strategies complied with regulatory requirements.

Our Solution

Kaeppel Consulting provided a comprehensive solution that included:

  1. Community Co-Design Sessions: Facilitated interactive sessions to gather community input and foster collaboration.
  2. Digital Strategy Development: Created a robust digital strategy that incorporated community feedback and future-proofing measures.
  3. Compliance Analysis: Conducted competitive analysis and used tools like SiteImprove and Google Analytics to ensure compliance and optimize digital tools.

Results

Kaeppel Consulting’s efforts resulted in the successful development of an interactive GIS-based tool that complied with regulatory requirements and met community needs. The digital strategy provided a clear roadmap for future digital initiatives.

Conclusion

Kaeppel Consulting’s expert facilitation and strategic planning enabled the City of San Antonio Public Works department to develop a comprehensive digital strategy that engaged the community and ensured compliance. Our tailored approach helped future-proof their digital tools and strategies.

The City of San Antonio–Design.COSA Digital Standards & Guidelines

Overview

The City of San Antonio’s Information Technology Services Department (ITSD) sought to establish digital standards and guidelines to enhance user experience (UX), user interface (UI), and accessibility across their digital platforms. To achieve this, they required expert support in research, design, and implementation. The City of San Antonio partnered with Kaeppel Consulting for this critical project.

The Challenge

  1. The City of San Antonio ITSD faced several challenges:

    • Diverse User Needs: Ensuring that digital platforms catered to the needs of a wide range of users, including city employees and vendors.
    • Accessibility Standards: Meeting stringent accessibility standards to ensure inclusivity.
    • Comprehensive Guidelines: Developing extensive UX/UI guidelines that could be uniformly applied across various digital platforms.

Our Solution

Kaeppel Consulting provided a holistic solution tailored to the City of San Antonio ITSD’s needs. Our approach included:

  1. Extensive Research: Conducted thorough UX/UI and accessibility research to understand user needs and identify areas for improvement.
  2. Design Sprint: Implemented a design sprint to create a program roadmap and strategy.
  3. Stakeholder Engagement: Engaged with stakeholders to gather insights and ensure alignment with project goals.

Results

Kaeppel Consulting’s efforts resulted in the successful establishment of digital standards and guidelines that enhanced the UX/UI and accessibility of the City of San Antonio’s digital platforms. This transformation enabled employees and vendors to interact more efficiently and effectively with the city’s digital services.

Conclusion

Kaeppel Consulting’s tailored approach enabled the City of San Antonio ITSD to overcome their challenges and achieve their digital transformation goals. By providing expert support in research, design, and implementation, we helped enhance the user experience and accessibility of their digital platforms.

Bank of the West–Creating a Culture of Continuous Improvement

Overview

Bank of the West, a prestigious financial institution, engaged our consultancy to instill a culture of Continuous Improvement amidst a challenging backdrop. The bank grappled with a 50% surge in workload volumes, yet without the luxury of adding additional personnel. Our mandate: To implement strategies that would not only accommodate this surge but also enhance overall operational efficiency.

Areas of Strategic Focus

  • Process Mapping & Analysis: Understanding and refining the bank’s existing processes was foundational to identifying opportunities for efficiency gains and workflow optimizations.

  • Workload Balance & Efficiency Metrics: In an environment with fixed personnel resources, achieving a balanced workload, adhering to Takt time, and segregating Value-Added from Non-Value-Added activities became pivotal.

  • Performance Monitoring: Introducing a comprehensive Dashboarding/Performance Measurement system was integral to ensure the bank could monitor, iterate, and sustain improvements over time.

Challenge

The landscape was clear and formidable: manage a substantial increase in workload without the ability to proportionally increase the workforce. This scenario required a paradigm shift, moving away from traditional banking operations to a model rooted in continuous improvement and efficiency.

Strategic Approach

Utilizing a Kaizen event, a methodology renowned for driving rapid improvements, we encompassed various tools and techniques such as flow analysis, Balanced Workload strategies, VA/NVA analysis, and more. Every facet of the bank’s operations was meticulously analyzed, refined, and optimized to meet the demands of the increased volume.

Impact & Outcome

Our collaborative endeavor with Bank of the West yielded remarkable results. Productivity soared by over 50%, enabling the bank to comfortably absorb the increased volume. Most notably, this significant uptick in efficiency did not come at the expense of quality; the bank continued to uphold and even exceed its quality commitments.

Bank of the West–Anti Money Laundering Process Improvement

Overview

Kaeppel partnered with Bank of the West to enhance their Anti-Money Laundering (AML) processes, specifically in the domains of cash flow monitoring and currency transaction reporting. Recognizing the critical importance of these areas in the banking sector, our objective was to introduce streamlined and compliant processes that would not only meet regulatory standards but also drive operational efficiency.

Areas of Enhancement

While the Bank of the West maintained a certain standard in their AML activities, there were aspects that required modernization and optimization. Specifically, there was a need to reimagine the existing cash flow monitoring systems and enhance currency transaction reporting to meet evolving regulatory requirements and industry best practices.

Challenge

Modernizing the AML processes for a bank is always challenging given the sensitivity and the stakes involved. The primary challenge was to transition from the existing “as-is” process to the envisioned “to-be” process without disrupting ongoing operations. Additionally, analyzing vast amounts of data to identify anomalies and ensuring that the new processes would be lean and free from non-value-added steps were significant tasks.

Solution

To tackle these challenges, we employed a suite of tools and methodologies. Lean principles were adopted to analyze and optimize the workflow, ensuring that only value-added steps were retained. Six Sigma methodologies further bolstered our approach, targeting process improvements and reducing variability. Statistical Process Control Charts played a pivotal role in data analysis, enabling us to pinpoint anomalies and areas requiring attention. As a result of these interventions, Bank of the West transitioned seamlessly to a more efficient “to-be” process for cash flow monitoring and currency transaction reporting. This not only made them compliant with the prevailing regulations but also introduced significant operational efficiencies. By cutting out the non-value-added steps through our leaner process, we’ve ensured that Bank of the West’s AML operations are both effective and efficient.