A decade after its last upgrade, the City of Airdrie launched a revamped website on Oct. 18, including a fresh new look and layout, and better accessibility for its users.
In a press release, the municipality stated the new airdrie.ca portal will offer significant improvements to user experience and overall accessibility to City information and online services.
“Our City website, airdrie.ca has always been a convenient way for residents to stay connected with the City and the information that’s important to them,” said Mayor Peter Brown in the press statement.
“The new design, improved accessibility, and update of our navigation and information are completely customer focused and will make connecting online with the City easier than ever.”
The revamped website was designed to make it easier for visitors to navigate the portal, and a large focus was put on key customer tasks and using common language to help users find the information they need faster.
The new, and inclusive design will automatically change to fit any device, according to the press release.
“The site is intended to support a consistent experience for users of all abilities,” read the statement.
While work to maintain and improve the overall site will be ongoing, the launch also includes a new design and improved usability for the City’s customer service portal, myAirdrie.
“A design that offered ease of use on a mobile device was key for the new site as over 68 per cent of all visitors in the last year accessed the site using a mobile or tablet device,” it read.
Jill Iverson, team leader of corporate communications for the City, said the last revamp of the municipality’s website was in 2012. She noted technology and web design capabilities have improved significantly in the 10 years since then.
“Technology changes pretty quickly, so we’re lucky that we got as many years out of that site as we did, but it was most certainly time for an improved site,” Iverson said, adding the recent revamp was based on user-submitted feedback.
“We did a lot of testing and a lot of focus groups and [considered] a ton of feedback we got from businesses and residents that really helped shape what is on that website right now,” she said.
Iverson said on average, the City’s website receives 3,000 to 4,000 visitors per day and 75,000 visitors monthly. She added it is the primary source of municipal information for most segments of the community.
According to Iverson, the most common tasks people need to access are at the front of the website in plain language.
“It isn’t City speak. We have our own lingo, but we realize not everyone speaks the way we do,” she said. “So, we really try to make it something that everyone can understand and find really easily.”
The City employee said the website is based on a concept called “Top Tasks” involving research to find out what users are coming to the website for the most and making sure those are the items “front and centre” on the website’s home page.
“That isn’t a one-time deal. The website will keep learning from what people are searching for,” Iverson said. “It’s responsive to all different types of screens. Whether you’re on a tablet or any type of phone, you’re going to get a really great experience and be able to see everything you need on the site.”
Iverson said the initial phase of the new site was constructed over the last year on the City’s existing platform at a cost of just under $25,000. All design and production was done in-house within the City’s IT department, she added.
“We have an awesome team here in our IT department that does all of the technology, background work, and our communications team and designers – everything was done in-house,” she said.“We were able to not spend a lot of money to get a fantastic product.”
Considering the market and the size of Airdrie's website, the City incurred major savings on its revamped website, according to Iverson.
“The website is the most popular way people get information about the City and so it was really important for us to [develop it as] a tool that works for everyone,” she said. “We’re really happy with it and we hope everyone goes and has a peek and shares their feedback with us.”
According to the City press release, regular testing and user feedback will continue to inform the continuous improvement efforts on the website moving forward.
“We appreciate the community’s patience over the new few weeks as we adjust to the changes that have been made and as our staff continue to make improvements and close any gaps in information,” continued Mayor Brown.
“As always we welcome feedback and will be providing opportunities for the community to share their thoughts in the coming weeks.”
