Configure the user home page

The Public Portal user home page provides a modern, user-centric starting point for your public users. As an agency administrator, you can configure several key elements of the user home page:

• Background image and welcome message – The banner image and introductory text at the top of the page. You can upload a custom background image and set a title/subtext to welcome users.

• Action cards – Interactive cards on the public user home page that guides public users to key services or tasks, such as apply for a permit or schedule an inspection. You can create new cards, edit their content, reorder their display, or hide/show cards. You can also add links to Accela Citizen AccessURLs or external sites.

• Home page version (Action cards vs. OpenCounter) – If your agency uses OpenCounter, you can choose to show OpenCounter tiles instead of standard action cards on the user home page.

  • Action cards – Interactive cards on the public user home page that guides public users to key services or tasks, such as apply for a permit or schedule an inspection. You can create new cards, edit their content, reorder their display, or hide/show cards. You can also add links to Accela Citizen Access URLs or external sites.

  • OpenCounter – Interactive tiles on the user home page that use the OpenCounter interface to guide users through common workflows and tasks. You can create new tiles, edit, reorder, or hide/show tiles.

• Navigation menu – The left-side menu that displays on every public user Public Portal page. You can add custom navigation links to internal pages or external sites, as well as reorder or group links under section headings.

  Note: When you add new items to Public Portal they are not automatically added to Accela Citizen Access' navigation.
  Tip: When you log in to your Public Portal administration home page for the first time, you will see all the navigation items from your original Citizen Access already available. You can edit these existing items or add your own.

• Footer – The bottom section of the public user home page, typically used for disclaimer text or links, such as copyright or contact info.

Background image and welcome message

The background (hero) image is the large banner image at the top of the user home page, and the welcome message consists of a title and subtext that greet the user.

Home page version

If your agency has OpenCounter, there are two available options: action cards or OpenCounter. You can choose to switch between OpenCounter buttons or standard action cards.

When OpenCounter is selected, your public user home page will prominently feature OpenCounter "Get started" buttons instead of your action cards.

Action cards

Action cards are clickable tiles displayed on the home page that direct public users to key tasks or pages. You must have at least three action cards visible on the public user home page. You can have up to nine action cards on the public user home page. You can configure which cards are shown, their content (title, description, icon), and their order.

On the administration Home page settings tab, scroll to Action cards. Here you will see two tables:

• Shown on home page: Cards currently visible to users on the public user home page.

• Not shown on home page: Cards that exist but are hidden from the public user home page.

OpenCounter buttons

The OpenCounter interface is an additional feature that will walk public users through workflows, such as submitting a permit or inquiring about a license.

Navigation menu

The navigation menu is the vertical menu on the left side of the public user Public Portal. It provides links for users to navigate to different sections of the portal. By default, it includes items like Home, Dashboard (if user is logged in), and any modules your agency has in Citizen Access today, such as Building, Planning, and Licenses. You can add navigation links to point to external resources or additional pages, and you can reorganize the menu structure.

Based on your configuration, you’ll see the top-level navigation item, then the tasks the public user can complete under the top-level navigation.

Footer

The footer is the section at the very bottom of the public user Public Portal pages. Typically, it contains static text such as copyright information or links to terms of service, privacy policies, and other helpful links.

You can have up to four columns in the footer, as well as an image and a copyright notice.