City of Bielsko-Biała
Unified municipal digital platform for a city of 170,000 residents
The City of Bielsko-Biała is a full-scale municipal administration in southern Poland, serving over 170,000 residents. As a city with county-level authority, it operates multiple departments, sector programs, public services, and thematic portals.
The project concerned the official city website — a central digital touchpoint for residents, businesses, and institutions.
The previous platform had grown organically over the years. Content was fragmented. Individual departments operated independently. Some communication took place on external project websites. Information duplicated between the main site and BIP (Public Information Bulletin).
Editorial issues were systemic:
- inconsistent formatting,
- uncontrolled growth of subpages,
- difficult archiving,
- limited structural governance.
User feedback confirmed structural friction:
- difficulty finding services,
- unclear paths to “how to handle a matter,”
- complicated navigation,
- language that was hard to understand,
- key information not easily accessible.
This was not a visual redesign problem. It was an information system problem.
Software Things took full ownership of the architecture, implementation and operational rollout of a new unified municipal platform.
We redesigned the information architecture, consolidated service logic, and implemented a structured model for public services (“Załatw sprawę”), municipal programs, property listings, events, and thematic services.
The new system was built as a governed digital platform — not a collection of pages.
The implementation meets WCAG 2.2 AA accessibility requirements and integrates municipal e-services and external systems.
Major system components
Structured “Załatw sprawę” service engine (category and department-based navigation)
Municipal programs and grants module (city and EU programs)
Property marketplace with search and filtering
Events calendar with accessibility metadata
Integrated e-services layer (appointments, status checks, payments)
Key features
Service Model: “Załatw sprawę”
Each administrative case is structured with required documents, legal basis, fees, processing time, appeal procedure, attachments, and a step-by-step guide. Residents can search by category or department. Category-based search is default to simplify discovery.
Unified Content Governance
Departments no longer publish content using isolated logic. The platform enforces a consistent structure for services, announcements, programs, and contact information. This reduces duplication and prevents uncontrolled content growth.
Programs and Grants Module
Municipal and EU programs are categorized (e.g., Family, Seniors, Health, Environment). Each program includes eligibility criteria, application steps, deadlines, legal basis, and attachments. External program pages can be linked when required.
Municipal Property Marketplace
A structured property listing system with filters (price range, area, type). Each property page contains auction details, ownership status, deposit requirements, and supporting documentation.
Events Calendar with Accessibility
The events module includes structured metadata: date, organizer, location, participation type (paid/free), and accessibility indicators. Organizers can specify physical and sensory accessibility features (e.g., induction loop, sign language interpretation, subtitles).
Benefits for the client
Centralized governance of municipal digital communication.
Reduced duplication across main site and external project portals.
Lower structural complexity and maintenance overhead.
Clear content logic for residents.
Platform ready for future consolidation of additional thematic sites.
one content model and plain-language standards across 40+ departments
grow the portal without spinning up new microsites and maintenance costs
structured services and tools that reduce confusion, calls, and back-and-forth
Let's talk
If you are rethinking how your institution delivers digital public services — not only visually, but structurally — we can help design and implement a governed, scalable platform aligned with operational realities.
