Gov. Heineman Unveils New Look for Nebraska.gov Website

(Lincoln, Neb.) Gov. Dave Heineman today announced the new redesign and look of the official website for the state of Nebraska.
“This cutting edge design has taken the official state website to a completely new level of government,” said Gov. Heineman. “With the rapid pace of changes to the Internet, the most innovative technology is being used to provide state government with the capability to better interact and serve the citizens and businesses of Nebraska.”
Available at Nebraska.gov, the new design was developed to attract users and deliver an exceptional experience to visitors of the site. The tile layout is innovative and appealing to the eye while keeping some classic design elements such as accessible alphabetical list of agencies and categories for Featured, Government, Business, Education, etc.
The design elements incorporated market research and beta testing making use of data and user feedback to determine if the new design was meeting its goals to create the best user experience across various platforms such as tablets, e-readers and smart phones, while it showcases what makes Nebraska a great place to live and do business. The new design concept materialized using analytics and an exploratory approach of how the website was to look and operate. By using Twitter, followers were asked to “tweet” about key elements of the site.
Under the guidance of the Nebraska State Records Board, Nebraska.gov continues to explore efficient ways for citizens to interact with their State Government.
The new Nebraska.gov website features:

•Progressive, Responsive Design – The tile concept design anticipates and responds to the users’ needs. From mobile browsers to netbooks and tablets, the design adjusts to an array of devices and browsers.
•Image Dominance – The website is centred on images taken in Nebraska. Citizens have the opportunity to submit their very own Nebraska images to be showcased on the website by submitting to the Greater Nebraska Photography Flickr group.
•Featured Topics and User Generated Content – The most popular and sought after topics are featured on the default page along with online services. Integration of social media and user content through Flickr and popular search information will keep the site interactive and relevant.
•Prominent Search Bar – The prominent search bar can help get visitors where they need to be quickly, and popular search suggestions from Google Analytics help point them in a direction they may want to go.
•“Touch First” – Nebraska agrees that a “touch-first approach” is the future of website design.
•Rotating facts of the Good Life – The new site features a rotating list of facts about what makes Nebraska “The Good Life.”
“Our objective is to provide an inclusive website that represents all Nebraskans while demonstrating the strong sense of community and culture in our state,” said Brenda Decker Chief Information Officer for the State of Nebraska. “Thousands of Nebraskans have embraced this approach by providing ‘crowdsourced’ content that has enriched the Nebraska.gov experience.”
The new Nebraska.gov uses specific social media for user interaction and communication. Twitter was chosen for its light footprint and trending metrics, and Flickr for its singular dedication to photographers and their copyright needs. Both services make it easy to integrate content into Facebook, blogs and other social media, helping to keep citizens informed and ease of information. The site underwent a complete redesign and launched on June 5.