City of Hamilton website improvement panel
The City of Hamilton has embarked on a project to renew its website with the goal of making it easier to find and use the City’s online information and services, while improving the accessibility of the website for people with disabilities.
Join the Website Improvement Panel
As part of the renewal project, we will periodically be asking businesses to participate in this process, by providing feedback, answering surveys and participating in focus groups related to the City’s website.
We are seeking busineses who are interested in participating in these kinds of activities over the next 6 months. If you are interested, please follow the link below and fill out the online form.
Once you have signed up, the City’s web team staff may contact you from time-to-time. You do not have to participate in all of the activities – you can simply choose which activities you want to be a part of, and specific instructions will be sent to you for each activity you participate in.
For some activities, a random selection of participants will be chosen, so you may be selected for some but not all of the activities. If you are selected and have any accessibility requirements, please ask the web team staff for alternatives.
Our Goals
- Improve the City’s online image
- Create an exciting and dynamic visual design for the City’s new website, using images that portray the unique qualities of Hamilton and its citizens and businesses
- Follow standards, policies and guidelines that help to reinforce the City’s image and provide a consistent experience throughout the whole website
- Ensure online services are always working well, with relevant and easy-to-find information
- Improve communication to citizens and opportunities for engagement
- Provide simple, relevant and timely information, that is easy for all citizens and businesses to understand
- Ensure the City complies with the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA) by January 1, 2014, making the City’s website accessible for all people
- Keep citizens informed with a regular opt-in e-newsletter that is delivered right to their inbox
- Improve online customer service
- Make it easier to find, access and use the City’s website, including all of its information and online services
- Improve the five most important online services, ensuring that citizens are able to fully complete their task online, without needing to call or visit
- Organize the City’s website based on the citizen’s view of our services, so that citizens don’t need to know how the City is organized in order to find what they need
- Make more of our information and online services available on mobile devices
- Enable the City to provide services at a lower cost
- Provide high-quality services through the City’s website, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week
- Consolidate several City owned or operated websites into the City’s main website, making it easier and less-costly to maintain all of the information in one place
- Add more services to the City’s website, making it easier for citizens and businesses to access the service without needing to call or visit
How will we get there?
- A WELL-MANAGED WEBSITE
The Citys website will be guided by a comprehensive standard, guidelines for publishing and a focus on the things that matter most to citizens and business. - INFORMATION AND DESIGN
The City’s new website will contain all relevant information in one place, with an exciting and attractive design. An informative and useful e-newsletter will be delivered regularly, right to your inbox. - ONLINE EXPERIENCE
Using evidence to drive our decisions, we will identify opportunities to make it easier for citizens and businesses to find, access and use our online services. - READY FOR THE FUTURE
This project will enable the City to find new ways to provide high-quality services at a lower cost, create new partnerships and integrate our service channels.
Public Information Session
On February 12th, the City hosted a Public Information Session on our plans to redevelop the City’s website.
- Web Redevelopment Information Panels (PDF)
- Presentation: Web Redevelopment Project (PDF)
- Web Redevelopment Fact Sheet (PDF)
Web Technology Assessment
Prior to investing in new web technology, the City conducted a web technology assessment to review the benefits, costs and risks of various options for the City’s new web technology platform and hosting environment. This investment is a critical component of the web redevelopment project and will impact the City for many years to come. The City engaged IBM to provide objective analysis and recommendations to staff. The results of the assessment are detailed in the links below: