Fairfax County has been honored by multiple organizations for the redesign and implementation of its website, FairfaxCounty.gov. The new website launched in December 2017 after significant research and planning was conducted.
Recent honors include:
- Finalist for "Overall County Government Experience" from the Center for Digital Government.
- Significant Achievement for "Leveraging Open Source Web Content Management System (CMS)" from the Public Technology Institute's 2018 Technology Solutions Awards.
- Gold Award for the Website Redesign under the Electronic Media category from the Hermes Creative Awards.
- Two awards of distinction for “Overall Government Website” and the “Website Redesign Project” from the Academy of Interactive & Visual Arts.
- 2018 Achievement Award for "Taking a Citizen First Approach to a Website Redesign" in the category of Civic Education and Public Information from the National Association of Counties.
Successful Partnerships Set a Strong Foundation
The Department of Information Technology and Office of Public Affairs led implementation of the new web content management system, trained county staff, researched best practices, reviewed years of metrics and conducted public outreach, among other project tasks (with vendor support from Virginia Interactive).
The county's expanded partnership with the public includes website user surveys, county review of all direct feedback received and the recent launch of a new Public Website Advisors program, an informal group of people willing to provide occasional feedback to the county on new concepts and features.
New Search, Language and Accessibility Features
Utilizing an open-source (and cost-effective) platform allows FairfaxCounty.gov to stay timely for many years to come. Current features include:
- Customizable search engine powered by Google, offering users a familiar search experience with their preferred method for finding information.
- Responsive design, which automatically presents the website in the best format regardless of user device (phone, tablet or computer).
- Expanded accessibility and language translation controls to help meet the county's commitment to nondiscrimination on the basis of disability in all county programs, services and activities.
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