Fairfax County’s website will get a new design early next year

Fairfax County is refreshing its website.

A website redesign is currently underway as the county looks to update “the look and feel based on new design trends to serve our community better,” the county’s digital content lead Greg Licamele told FFXnow in an email.

The new website is expected to be launched in early 2023. No interruptions or downtime are expected for the site or services while work is underway, county officials confirmed.

The project is being led by the Department of Information Technology and was laid out in its 2023 adopted plan.

Residents can take a peek at sample designs for both the desktop and mobile versions and can provide feedback via survey until tomorrow (Dec. 7).

Making sure the website is easy to navigate and accessible on mobile devices is a county priority.

“Mobile devices continue to be the main way people see the county website, we’re also conscious of presenting information that works well on smartphones,” Licamele said.

The refresh for both desktop and mobile includes a new color palette and “contemporary” design tweaks.

It will also add a Spanish option for the Fairfax Virtual Assistant, a chatbot that provides automated information on some topics.

Additionally, the IT department plans to integrate some website content with voice assistant devices like Amazon Alexa and Google Home.

Beyond updating the design and compatibility, the refresh was also prompted by resident requests to have important services and items accessible on the homepage.

“For years, we’ve heard people’s desire to have important services highlighted, which is what our current homepage provides with the Find, Pay, Report and Register section at the top,” Licamele said. “The proposed refreshed design keeps our laser focus on those top tasks people want to find easily, as well as spotlighting a few more priority items such as the county’s Strategic Plan.”

The county’s website was last redesigned five years ago, in 2017. There will be “no additional costs associated” with the new website update, the county says.