Government Technology recently launched an updated version of its online publication that covers technology in state and local government across the nation. (Govtech.com also regularly features Techwire.net coverage of the California IT public sector community.)
They moved away from the look and feel of a standard news page in favor of a design that features endlessly scrolling images and video content, perhaps similar to the social networking platform Pinterest. The site has better search capabilities and integration with social media. It also automatically groups content making easier to drill down on a subject, according to the press announcement.
Normally the relaunch of a website would not be that newsworthy. However, the Government Technology team, part of the same company that runs the annual Best of the Web competition for state and local governments, went out of the their way to explain the theory and details behind the new design.
Chief Content Officer Paul Taylor breaks it down in an article about the 5 things that make up a good website, starting with a focus on mobility and the use of responsive design, which simply means the site will re-size for any device without losing readability.
Kristy Fifelski, also known as GovGirl, sums up the effort in one of her YouTube videos. "We went from a not too visual site to a completely visual site," said Zach Presnall, Internet and IT director in an interview with Fifelski. "There was a lot of coordination between our IT team, our design team and our editorial teams."
Government Technology says they are just changing with the times, delivering content in a way that people expect to consume it, with this new design they are calling “bold, bright and social.”
