Town of Andover Launches New Website

If you’ve visited andoverma.gov in recent days, you’ve likely noticed that the site has a new look. Following a comprehensive redesign process, the Town launched a fully updated website on February 14, intended to be more user-friendly, accessible, and responsive. 

The site is now live, and can be viewed at: andoverma.gov
 

Recognizing that the website is often the first stop for residents seeking municipal services or information about Town government, a working group comprised of staff from the Town Manager’s Office and Information Technology, and consultants from the Town’s website vendor, CivicPlus, began a wholesale assessment of the Town’s website in 2022. The priority during the redesign effort was to ensure that the site aligns with the current standards and usage patterns of Town residents. Website analytic data, user feedback, and best practices identified among other municipal websites were considered to achieve this goal. 

Features of the new site include:

• A fully reconfigured homepage, designed to align with site usage patterns;
• A more intuitive site navigation and menu options;
• Greater accessibility of news and alerts;  
• An improved homepage calendar feature, which concisely displays meeting information and community events; and
• Enhanced imagery, graphics, and design.

 In January, the Town conducted a survey of Andover residents to assess how they use andoverma.gov, and what features they would like to see improved in the new site. The survey found that 79% of respondents use the website for news and information about Town government, by far the most utilized website utility among survey participants. This insight informed the decision to make news and announcements more prominent on the homepage.

Survey participants were invited to participate in a virtual focus group discussion on Wednesday, February 8, during which a preliminary design of the website was previewed and participants were able to additional offer feedback to Town staff. 

All information included on the previous site has been migrated to the new site. Website content is routinely updated by Town staff.