First Release of One-Stop Shop Mobile Portal Now Available
The City's first one-stop shop mobile portal, VB Connect, is now available through app stores. VB Connect enables residents to interact and transact business with the City through a single, customized portal. The mobile portal was designed with a focus on the users — citizens.
"The emphasis on the user experience resonates with our citizens who want convenient ways to do business with the City," said City Councilmember Aaron Rouse, who championed this next generation app. "It provides a personalized dashboard based on a citizen's address that includes information specific to their location — right at their fingertips. More services and functionality will be added in future phases."
The portal offers citizens access to a range of services and information including:
- trash and recycling schedules
- voting information
- property information
- locations of nearby City facilities
- City news
- subscriptions to City alerts and other emergency information
Citizens can download the app now via the following links:
- Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.vbgov.vbconnect
- iOS: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/vb-connect/id890071467?mt=8
- Website: vbconnect.virginiabeach.gov
As part of this initial launch, the City's mobile app development team will conduct accessibility testing to ensure people can easily navigate the portal, especially those who have sight impairments.
"Our goal is to gather as much user testing feedback as possible so we can continue to improve the platform and build future phases that meet their needs," said Peter Wallace, the City's chief information officer.
In March, citizens were invited to choose the name of the portal and VB Connect, the name the City used on the early versions of this app, was the favorite. The first generation of the VB Connect mobile app was introduced in 2015. The team then transformed it into the City's first voice assistant app in 2018.
"With this new design, VB Connect has evolved into the City's first one-stop shop mobile portal while still maintaining all the convenience factors and capabilities of its earlier iterations," Wallace said.
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