Williamson County Launches Redesigned, More Streamlined Website

WILLIAMSON COUNTY, TX — Introducing: A new and improved Williamson County website!

County officials on Tuesday announced the creation of a redesigned website that yields a flat design highlighting the county's most accessed pages that is responsive to mobile devises. The cleaner and more streamlined version represents the first revamp of the municipal website since 2011, officials said.

“In reviewing the website analytics, we found a growing number of people visiting www.wilco.org were using mobile devices, and our current design wasn’t the best experience for this audience,” county web master Ben Wassink said. “We chose to create the new Wilco.org using the idea of responsive design in which we create several designs for different screen sizes and display the best one for the user depending on their device. That way, we are not updating the same information in multiple platforms.”

The new website design has been in progress for the past year, county officials noted. The redesign process focused on the following goals:

• Responsive Web design: Rendering the best display for the best user experience based on screen size, platform and orientation of the device being used.
• Expand and improve security: This ensures the County maintains legal compliance while securing sensitive data.
• Navigation enhancements. Optimizing citizens' access to information through web analytics.
• Style that is consistent with the County’s identity.

Connie Watson, the county's public affairs manager, noted the website also incorporates the bucolic nature of the Williamson County landscape. To that end, photos are used throughout the portal showcasing those picturesque surroundings.

“In thinking about the identity of the county for the website redesign, we wanted it to reflect the beauty that is located throughout the county,” Watson said. “To start, we chose a few photos that highlight nature and outdoor events for the website front page."

Plans for the future calls for soliciting additional photos from county residents, Watson added: "In the future, we want to encourage residents to send us photos showing what they love about Williamson County. There are so many fabulous views around the county that we want to feature different locations and occasions.”

But one element remains from the previous website iteration: The Williamson County blue from the “W” logo, but with complementary splashes of orange and green as accents. The website went live Tuesday night.

Feast your eyes by visiting www.wilco.org

>>> Image via Shutterstock