Case | City of Västerås
The app that brings cities and citizens closer together
How to get closer to citizens in a digital world? The City of Västerås wanted to improve its communication with residents by gathering important and targeted information – such as news, events, fault reports and e-services – in one place.
Background and challenge
The aim was to create a more personal and accessible contact between the municipality and citizens. But this is a complex challenge. At the same time, municipalities have many target groups. A pensioner, a teenager and a parent with young children look for information in completely different ways and in different places. And even if the municipality has a lot to say, residents need help finding what is relevant to them.
Solution
The solution was Mitt Västerås – a smart and accessible app for residents, developed in close collaboration between the City of Västerås and our partner Innocode External link, opens in new window..
"Through the Mitt Västerås app, we can communicate directly with our residents and reduce the distance between them and the city."
Sara Eklind, Director of Communications, City of Västerås
The app is designed to meet residents where they are, on their mobiles. And the content is adapted to their interests and needs. The app includes
- Push notifications
Personalised updates in real time - Error reporting
Easy reporting directly via the app - News and events
Collected in a clear way - E-services
Easy access to the municipality's digital services
Publish on multiple surfaces with one click
And the best part? Editors no longer have to do double work. If you want, news can be easily mirrored to both web and app with just one click.
The result
– It's fascinating to see how quickly Mitt Västerås has become established, with more than 20,000 downloads in the first year. The ability to follow local businesses and organisers creates clear daily relevance for the resident, and opens the door for the city to effectively reach out with its push notifications in emergency situations, says Bjarte Falck Olsen, CEO of Innocode.
The City of Västerås has developed a fully customised solution together with Innocode. Are you curious about something similar? Contact Innocode External link, opens in new window. to find out more.
20 000
residents downloaded the app in the first year
50
percent chose to enable personalised notifications