Public Utility Website Design for Rivanna Authorities
Rivanna Authorities, which encompasses the Rivanna Water & Sewer and Rivanna Solid Waste divisions, plays a critical role in the lives of residents throughout Charlottesville and Albemarle County. As community needs expanded, their outdated web platform made it difficult for users to access essential information and for staff to manage content. Red Orange Studio partnered with Rivanna to redesign their digital presence—delivering a trio of user-centered local government websites with a strong emphasis on accessibility, usability, and user experience.
UX Approach Designed to Improve Communication and Access
Clear and timely communication is essential for any public utility website design—and that need shaped every decision we made with Rivanna. Director of Administration Betsy Nemeth and IT Manager Jeff Southworth were deeply invested partners, offering insights that helped us prioritize audience needs and internal workflows.
Through collaborative discovery and a focus on user experience (UX design), we reorganized content to reduce confusion, improved mobile responsiveness, and made critical updates easily accessible for every visitor.
ADA-Compliant, Mobile-Friendly and User-Focused Local Government Websites
Red Orange Studio created a unified web solution for Rivanna: a central information hub and two audience-specific microsites for Water & Sewer and Solid Waste. Each site was thoughtfully designed to support user goals—whether that’s finding disposal guidelines, locating facility hours, or learning about infrastructure projects.
We ensured ADA compliance, intuitive navigation, and mobile optimization across all platforms. GIS integration supports transparency around construction projects, and emergency contact info is always front and center. On the back end, staff now have the autonomy to make updates quickly and confidently.
"Our goal was to make the site work for our users—from engineers to laypeople—and now it really does. It was important to make sure the foundation was not just good, but great. These sites are great.”
– Betsy Nemeth, Director of Administration — Rivanna Authorities
Rivanna Authorities Website Design Improves User Experience for Consumers and Staff
With a new digital structure and clear visual hierarchy, the Rivanna public utility website design now supports the Authority’s mission of service and stewardship.
Solid Waste users can easily locate the information they need without searching through unrelated content. Meanwhile, Water & Sewer Authority content is streamlined for educational access and project transparency. The redesign simplifies staff workflows and reinforces Rivanna’s credibility as a responsive, community-centered agency.
Public sector websites should make it easy to stay informed—and Rivanna’s new platform does just that.
