Government Office symbolism adviser Gert Uiboaed told ERR on Wednesday that the office began preparing the transition to the new designs three years ago.

As of Wednesday, 14 state authorities have transitioned to the new website design, the Tax and Customs Board is the last to make the switch. The goal of the tender announced in 2019 was to find a design partner suitable for the visual upgrade of the government portal. The partner was also responsible for refreshing the existing design and to create new designs based on new templates.

The tender was taken by Velvet DP, who initiated a project called Valitsusportaal 2.0 for €41,520. As a result of the project, the government portal was given a new visual solution, front-end code and a stylebook. Uiboaed said the tender winner's goal was not to transition the websites to the new platform, only design it.

The goal of the government portal is to provide a clear overview of the actions and goals of the government and its institutions. For this reason, the websites of the government, ministries, Government Office and other state authorities will be added into one virtual environment.

The portal is also accompanied by a stylebook, which describes what kind of pictures authorities can use on their website. For example, a recommendation has been made for there to be people on the pictures used and for visuals to be optimistic, genuine and not comforted.

"We have set a goal for all ministries and most other government institutions to implement the website based on the government portal," Uiboaed said. "As of preliminary info, 20 authorities will implement the updated government portal platform during this year."

Uiboaed added that each state institution will choose the transition period and it might not happen this year for all of the authorities.

The updated government portal has fulfilled the goals it was given, Uiboaed said. It is easier to find information, the visual solution is modern and the website can be used on all devices. "The new website management solution is significantly simpler than the previous one and it prevents content editor questions," he noted.

As of Wednesday, the websites of the government, Government Office, the Education and Youth Board, the Environmental Board, the Environment Agency, the Land Board, the Agriculture and Food Board, the Transport Administration, the Consumer Protection and Technical Regulation Authority, the Financial Intelligence Unit, the State Shared Service Center, the Tax and Customs Board's environmental department and the Ministry of Culture have made the transition.

--

Follow ERR News on Facebook and Twitter and never miss an update!