The Client
MISO is a not-for-profit member-based organization that ensures reliable, least-cost delivery of electricity across all or parts of 15 U.S. states and one Canadian province. In cooperation with stakeholders, MISO manages approximately 65,000 miles of high-voltage transmission and 200,000 megawatts of power-generating resources across its footprint.
The Need
MISO was celebrating 15 years of regional transmission services. They were seeking out a way to launch a microsite that took users on a journey of the past decade and half at MISO. They also were working on a printed brochure internally that they wanted this online journey to reflect. Their initial idea was to have an online timeline highlighting important events.
The Solution
We shortly realized this project was going to be much bigger than we anticipated. Organizing the vast amount of information in a way that was easy to digest, interactive and got people excited was definitely something that would require a lot of planning. In addition to having multiple interactive sections, we also needed to hook into their website to pull real-time data to make a few of the graphics work.
Our main theme for the microsite became past, present and future and information was organized as such. We’d review the past events that got them where they are today. Then review where they are today. Including pulling in real-time current wattage being used and current fuel mix. Finally, move into the future and where they are going in the next 10 years.
The multiple interactive sections helped the user digest the information in a way that kept it engaging. We also featured lots of employee photos and management videos keeping it familiar to those who work at MISO.
We brought Alex Gates onto the team to handle both API development and help planning the launch process. Together, we were able to pull in real time data from MISO and present it in a way that really gave the site an additional custom feel. Animating these graphics also added a bit of surprise and delight to the user experience.
As with nearly every project, the mobile experience was also important. Our goal was to make the experience of the desktop version translate as seamlessly as possible to mobile. This would require altering the design of some of the graphics to better fit a mobile browsing experience.
The Results
We launched on December 15th – just in time for the party. They made a company wide announcement about the timeline website. People were super happy and excited with how the site turned out. It was exciting to partner on a project that was so interactive and dynamic.
Helping the MISO team create an online experience that took the user on a journey through their story was both fun and challenging. We’re excited to see it live and in action – and glad to see they also were just as excited.
The Team
Becca Kroese
- Front-end Development
- WordPress Development
- Project Management
Alex Gates
- Back-end Development
Hannah Tripe
- Website Design