Lindsay Hardy
Director of Strategy
Lindsay Hardy is Digital Deployment’s director of strategy. His passion for creating elegant user experiences and solving real-world problems drives the discovery phase and enables us to create meaningful solutions for our clients.
When he’s not immersed in analytics, stakeholder surveys or focus groups, he can be found tearing up the trails on his bike, goofing off with his family or filling a sketchbook with his ink and watercolors creations.
Related content
Civil Justice Association of California brings balance to the California business community with their stunning new website
A trusted source of expertise in legal reform and advocacy for almost half a century, the Civil Justice Association of California (CJAC) confronts legislation and laws that create unfair litigation burdens on California businesses, employees, and communities.
After years of working with an outdated website and content management tools, CJAC needed a modern, agile, and strategic web platform that would truly showcase their mission, demonstrate impact, and keep visitors informed about the latest issues.
Read on to see some surprising highlights from this project.
The Most Popular Content Management Systems in Pension — 2020
There are lots of options when choosing a content management system (CMS) for your public-facing pension system website. From open or closed source to flexibility, from ease-of-use to security and performance, there is a lot to consider! To make this process a bit easier, we took a deep dive to better understand what tools pension systems in 2020 are using to power their public websites.
How we evaluated CMS usage
By working with our pension partners in cities, counties, states, police, and fire organizations across the country, we were able to compile a database of nearly 400 retirement systems throughout the United States and Canada. No system was too big or too small for this exercise. Once our list was assembled, we carefully researched each website to understand what CMS platform or website tools they were using. The results were fascinating.
Los Angeles City Employees’ Retirement System launches modern, stunning website
Established in 1937, The Los Angeles City Employees’ Retirement System (LACERS) provides pension benefits and administers a retiree health care program to more than 26,000 active city employees and over 20,000 retirees and their beneficiaries.
After years of dealing with an outdated website and complicated content management tools, LACERS came to Digital Deployment, seeking a new pension website and online platform that would empower them to transform their customer experience online.
Read on to discover a few of the more impactful elements of this project.
How do I build the right academic program finder for my school’s website?
Best practices, checklists, and examples
We get this question a lot. Everybody is talking about guided pathways and how to successfully bring them to their community college website. This new focus on student success is exciting and opens a world of opportunities, but it also brings up a lot of questions, especially when it comes to putting these ideas into practice. Don’t worry, we’re here to help!
Video: Association Web Trends 2020 Webinar
4 Ways Virginia Bankers Association’s website transformed their member experience
Kick-start 2020 by uncovering how modern associations are using their websites to create new value and transform their member experience.
In this webinar, Lindsay Hardy (Director of Strategy, Digital Deployment) and Monica McDearnon (Communications & Financial Literacy Coordinator for the Virginia Bankers Association) discuss the opportunities for associations online and show you how the Virginia Bankers Association capitalized on them to deliver a superior member experience.
Western Bankers Association
Representing 13 states across the western U.S., the Western Bankers Association (WBA) is one of the largest and most dynamic state-banking trade associations in the country. Their mission to inform, educate, advocate for, and connect community bankers and leaders across the western United States is impressive and their impact on the community is inspiring.
Sierra College Academics and Guided Pathways
How Sierra College transformed the student experience
Offering a wide range of programs, degrees, certificates, and courses, Sierra College supports a diverse community of over 18,000 students, empowering them to chart their future path and achieve their dreams.
Inspired by the new guided pathways initiative for community colleges, Sierra College came to Digital Deployment seeking a website that would enable the student community to proactively explore programs by interest, degree offering, and potential salary, all before their first visit with a counselor.
The secret to building member engagement and success early
Focus on key life events and milestones
[This is the second of a series of posts on the latest data-driven design trends for retirement systems.]
As we alluded to in our first post of the series, member engagement consistently trends upward as members get closer to retirement. The reasons are obvious: members nearing retirement start fantasizing about a life untethered from phrases like “work-life balance” and begin paying attention to what it will take to make the jump to their next phase. Meanwhile, new retirees suddenly become very interested in monitoring those pension payment dates and finding out what kind of COLA they can expect.
That’s great. However, as the team responsible for setting retirees up for success, we know that early member engagement leads to a better pension experience, healthier long-term retirement decisions, and (selfishly) fewer customer service requests over the lifetime of the member.
So, what’s the secret to building member connections earlier in their careers? Build a quality experience around key life events.
Tips for posting payment dates on your retirement system website
[This is the first of a series of posts on the latest data-driven design trends for retirement systems]
For retirement systems, the member
experience is the brand, and while we do occasionally see
revolutionary design and technology shifts (e.g. responsive
design), it’s often the little things that will delight your
users the most.
This week, we’re offering some tidbits we first learned by working with the New York City Employees’ Retirement System (NYCERS): Post pension payment dates on your website!
NYCERS serves over 350,000 members and fields an incredible number of support calls daily. When we began redesigning their website, our first order of business was to conduct focus groups with their customer service team to learn how the website could proactively reduce employee workload and increase customer satisfaction. To our delight, the top requests were simpler than we thought:
Maryland State Retirement and Pension System
The Maryland State Retirement and Pension System (SRPS) supports Maryland’s public servants by administering the survivor, disability, and retirement benefits for 400,000+ members which include active and former State employees, teachers, State police, judges, law enforcement officers, correctional officers and legislators across the state.
City of Redlands
Located just northeast of Los Angeles, the City of Redlands’ charming downtown, inviting atmosphere, rich history, and easy access to a wide range of outdoor activities make it a natural destination for residents, businesses, and visitors alike.
Committed to making the city a great place to work, live, and play, Redlands came to Digital Deployment seeking our government website expertise to build a modern, mobile-first website that would streamline the path to essential services while strengthening the brand and identity of the city.
Old Sacramento Waterfront
Located in the heart of Sacramento’s historic district, the Old Sacramento Waterfront (The Waterfront) is the perfect spot to grab a bite, plan a shopping trip, experience gold rush history, or simply enjoy a waterfront cocktail with friends.
Already a staple for tourists, The Waterfront came to Digital Deployment looking for an impactful, new website that could re-introduce The Waterfront to local residents and invite them to explore the expanding shopping, dining, and growing event opportunities there.
Sacramento County Employees’ Retirement System
Founded in 1941, The Sacramento County Employees’ Retirement System (SCERS) is a defined benefit retirement system dedicated to ensuring Sacramento’s public servants have access to financial security and an opportunity to achieve their retirement goals.
Western City magazine delights readers and job seekers alike with their newly launched website
by Lindsay Hardy, Digital Deployment
Western City magazine is an award-winning monthly publication targetted to elected officials, city department heads, policy-makers and opinion leaders throughout the state of California.
Western City’s readership looks to its expert reporting for immediately practical ideas and insights on bigger-picture policy issues and trends that visitors simply can’t find elsewhere.
Enhancing the user experience for the City of Carmel
The city of Carmel-by-the-Sea is one of the nation’s most desirable places to visit, work, and live. The unparalleled natural beauty, preservation of downtown character, clean ocean air, beautiful beach, and charming neighborhoods contribute to the quality of life enjoyed by residents and visitors alike. When we found out we’d been chosen to help shape their new website we were thrilled, to say the least.
SEIU 1021 thinks big and acts bold with their newly launched website
SEIU 1021 is a diverse, effective, member-driven union that represents nearly 60,000 workers and their families in healthcare, local government, schools and universities, nonprofits, and special districts throughout Northern California.
SEIU 1021’s leadership, vision, community, and record of winning contract and political campaigns empower their organization to achieve respect, fairness, equity and justice for the working people it represents.
California Student Aid Commission (CSAC) launches new website
Helping California families achieve their dreams of higher education
The California Student Aid Commission (CSAC) is an inspired organization dedicated to changing lives by making higher education financially accessible to all Californians.
Established in 1955, CSAC accomplishes this by providing access to financial aid programs, guidance, and support services to a diverse range of students, families, schools, counselors, and financial aid administrators across the state.
Reaching 1.2 million site visitors annually, CSAC’s website is an essential tool for communicating and guiding families through the vast programs and opportunities they offer. Understanding the importance of this project, CSAC sought out Digital Deployment for our expertise in building effective government websites that not only meet the stringent standards for the state, but more importantly, transform the user experience for those that rely upon them.
Furthering Chiropractic Care in California
California Chiropractic Association enhances their identity and member experience with their new website
Established in 1928, the California Chiropractic Association (CalChiro) is a nonprofit organization comprised of chiropractic doctors and allied industries dedicated to furthering chiropractic care in California.
Specifically, CalChiro helps chiropractors by providing a place to find community, training, certification, advocacy, valuable industry resources and the overall support needed to run successful practices and offer their patients outstanding care.
Getting Acquainted with Google Analytics
CCPRO Presentation Slides
Google Analytics is a powerful tool, but the sheer volume of options it provides can be a little intimidating for new users. This webinar provides a clear overview of how Google Analytics can help you learn more about how visitors use your site.
Expanding the reach and impact of the nation’s largest disability rights group
Disability Rights California launches new accessible, responsive website
Disability Rights California (DRC) is the largest disability rights group in the nation. Established in 1978 to protect and advocate for Californians with disabilities, DRC directly assisted nearly 25,000 people last year alone, and in that time hundreds of thousands more lives were touched through their litigation, policy work, training, and publications.
Our Promise: Helping California State Employees Make a Difference
New website streamlines user experience for one of California's largest philanthropic giving campaigns
Nearing its 60th year, Our Promise: California State Employees Giving at Work is one of the largest philanthropic giving campaigns in the state of California. Designed to help California’s state employees demonstrate their commitment and dedication to their communities, Our Promise brings people together to tackle big problems right here at home.
Webinar: Creating Custom Reports and Dashboards in Google Analytics
Last summer we hosted an introductory webinar to walk through the basics of Google Analytics and show you a few of the things we look at when we evaluate a website. Since then we’ve gotten a lot of feedback from clients interested in learning more about Google Analytics tools and advanced features, so this time around we focused on how you can create custom reports and dashboards for your organization.
Download the presentation slides
If you’re just catching up, you’re welcome to watch a
recording of our earlier webinar, Intro to
Google Analytics to learn the basics.
Bringing Home Within Reach
Stanford Youth Solutions' new website redesign helps families in crisis
Stanford Youth Solutions is dedicated to helping families in crisis situations and empowering them to overcome obstacles. Specifically, the organization provides behavioral and mental health services for at-risk youth to help families stay together, or in some cases, help a youth find a new permanent home.
California Restaurant Association Design
It has been a busy year, packed with exciting projects and too many new site launches to count. That said, the opportunity to work with California Restaurant Association (CRA) on their new website truly stood out.
CRA is the voice of the restaurant industry. They provide the advocacy, community, resources, and support needed to help restaurants thrive so we were honored when they reached out to us to completely revamp their association’s website design.
Changing lives & preventing victims
Chief Probation Officers in California (CPOC) strengthens California communities with its new website
We are fortunate to have the opportunity to work with so many amazing organizations and associations across the country. This summer, we had the opportunity to work with Chief Probation Officers in California (CPOC) on a complete rebrand and redesign for their organization’s website. Up against a tight timeline, CPOC was in need of a content management system that could empower their team, a brand that could solidify their identity, and a platform that could further their cause–all in time for their annual conference.
Ventura County Employees’ Retirement Association’s (VCERA)
Recently we had the opportunity to work with Ventura County Employees’ Retirement Association (VCERA) on a brand new website. Up until this process, their content was hidden deep within Ventura County’s extensive web presence.
New York City Employees Retirement System (NYCERS)
Recently, we had the opportunity to work with the New York City Employees Retirement System (NYCERS) on their new website. Serving more than 350,000 active members and retirees in New York City, NYCERS is the largest municipal public employee retirement system in the United States.
Webinar: Getting Acquainted with Google Analytics
Google Analytics is a powerful tool, but the sheer volume of options it provides can be a little intimidating for new users. This webinar provides a clear overview of how Google Analytics can help you learn more about how visitors use your site.
15 diagrams that make graphic design much easier
Most of us aren’t graphic designers or art directors, but in order to create engaging content for our readers, we often find ourselves taking on these roles in one form or another.
Engage and Understand your Audience with Bundle & Blast™
Second only to creating great content is finding a way to make sure it reaches your audience. So today, for our “Low hanging fruit” article, we’re focusing on a very cool tool – Bundle and Blast.
So, what makes Bundle and Blast so cool?
Say goodbye to clip art. Say hello to Unsplash.
Back in the day of Microsoft publisher, clip art was all the rage. Fortunately, those days have passed and we have some much better tools to help get our ideas across.
Today, we’d like to introduce you to Unsplash.com. Unsplash is a gorgeous collection of royalty-free photography that uses a creative commons zero license to provide great, free images for websites like yours. “Blogs, art, book covers, tshirts, and more — paid or unpaid — they’re all allowed under the license.”
How to get your website to the top of Google
Best practices for developing search-optimized, user-centric content
We often get the question, “How do I get my website to the top of Google?”, and while our specific suggestions vary by client, the process itself is very consistent.
With that in mind, here’s a quick guide to setting targets and boosting your site’s organic search results.