By Cecilia Nasmith

Northumberland County announces the launch of its new website, which promises to deliver a dramatic improvement in the delivery of on-line information and services for members of the public.

The county's announcement spotlighted the more modern look and feel of the design as well as the improved user experience.

“It is more mobile-friendly, incorporates accessibility improvements, and enables on-line payments and donations, as well as the submission of a variety of forms and applications,” it listed.

“It also offers improved layout of information and helpful on-screen prompts (such as an I Want To button) that will make it easier and faster for people to find the infor­mation they are looking for.”

“County council and staff are focused on delivering value to the community, so we are excited about the opportunity to further improve customer service and information-sharing through this new website,” Warden John Logel stated.

“It is a dynamic new site that can evolve to meet the changing needs of our community. It will be a wonderful resource for our residents.”

IT director Tony Paulic said public feedback was instrumental to the development of the new site. This engagement process included a pre-design survey to understand user needs, an in-person ses­sion to define the most sensible organization of information, and user testing with stakeholder groups.

“We will also release, next month, an on-line survey about the effectiveness of the new site, and we look forward to learning more about people’s experience,” Paulic added.

Director of communications Kate Campbell expressed her appreciation for the public input throughout the design process.

“There is no question that this helped us to deliver an engaging new tool that will enhance public access to county programs and services,” Campbell said.

“Now that the site is live, staff will monitor analytics and public feedback to make any necessary adjustments for best meeting user needs.”

Members of the public are invited to visit Northumberland.ca and click on the Website Feedback form at the bottom of each page to share any comments.

To subscribe to receive news, emergency alerts, event updates and more, visit Northumberland.ca/subscribe.