Case Studies

State of Ohio Transparency Portal

About the State of Ohio Treasurer’s Transparency Portal

The Ohio State Treasurer set a goal to be the gold standard in public fiscal transparency early in his career and was determined to make it a reality. After gathering a team of fiscal, legal and technical experts he needed to find a web development company capable of connecting them all together into a single online presence.

Note: Please note that all contents of this case study are pulled from public data and it is not an endorsement from the Treasurers Office of the State of Ohio or of the State Treasurer themself.

The Challenge: Making $550 Billion Understandable to 12 Million People

The Ohio State Treasurer set a bold goal: make Ohio the national leader in public fiscal transparency. But the path forward was anything but simple.

The system had to publish and organize over 4.5 billion pieces of financial data
It needed to simplify one of the most complex accounting systems in the country for everyday citizens
It had to be powerful enough to let a user ask tough questions, like why a state agency spent $675 at Victoria’s Secret and how to get clear, credible answers
And it had to do all of this securely, reliably, and at scale

This wasn’t just a website. It was a public accountability platform designed to reshape trust in government.

The Solution: A Scalable, Secure Platform Built for Performance and Clarity

Switchbox worked closely with the State Treasurer’s team of legal, financial, and technical experts to bring the vision to life.

A custom hosting environment inside the Treasurer’s secure data center, built to support 50,000+ concurrent searches
One full month of load testing to ensure reliability under heavy public demand
Rigorous data gathering and categorization, handled by state staff and aligned with usability best practices
A dedicated UX team to translate dense financial records into user-friendly, searchable content

The goal: make the site feel as simple as a Google search while surfacing billions in financial activity.

The Outcome: From #46 in the Nation to #1 in Transparency

Ohio’s transparency portal didn’t just meet expectations – it redefined them:

Jumped from #46 to #1 nationally for government transparency websites
Moved from a D- to an A+ transparency rating and has held that A+ status ever since
Featured on national networks like CNBC, with widespread acclaim from both state and national media
Winner of the Ohio Interactive Awards “Game Changer” – the only government agency to earn the honor

The site is now a gold standard in fiscal accountability and proof that public data, when done right, can build real trust.

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