Town of Stow, Maine

Complete website redesign and CMS implementation for a small municipality. Discovery-led redesign, WCAG accessibility compliance, and staff independence via Wix CMS.

Client: Town of Stow. Industry: Municipal Government. Live site: stowmaine.us.

Overview

The Town of Stow, Maine needed more than a new website. They needed their website to work again. JAM Creative partnered with Chiddy Designs to deliver a complete redesign, from user research through full implementation. The goal was straightforward: restore the website to its role as the town's primary communication channel and bring it in line with what residents expect from a modern digital experience.

The Situation

Stow's existing site functioned as a single-column text repository. Built on raw HTML with no styling framework, it gave residents no reliable way to find what they needed. Over 60% of residents access websites via smartphone; the old site forced every one of them to pinch and zoom. Municipal staff had stopped relying on their own website.

Key indicators: Fixed-width layout with no mobile responsiveness; eight disconnected navigation links; centered italic serif typography creating screen reader failures; static text calendar; no CMS; staff had abandoned the site as a communication tool.

Constraints

Non-technical staff needed to own content updates independently; no budget for ongoing developer maintenance; existing team familiarity with Wix; practical, maintainable implementation over architectural complexity.

How We Approached the Problem

Structured user research and stakeholder interviews before touching design. Platform recommendation: Wix (staff already knew it). JAM led complex logic, dynamic content, API integrations. Chiddy contributed photography, videography, design.

Key actions: Strategic navigation restructuring (8 links to 5 categories); dynamic calendar with device sync; persistent utility header with office hours; icon-driven task navigation; full mobile-responsive build; WCAG accessibility compliance.

The Results

Mobile: 100% responsive. Navigation: 5 intuitive categories. Accessibility: 87-90 Lighthouse score, ADA widget. Security: 100% HTTPS/SSL. SEO: 92/100. Best Practices: 96/100. Layout stability: 0 Cumulative Layout Shift. Calendar: dynamic multi-view with device sync. Staff independence: self-managed via Wix CMS.

Why This Matters for Government Projects

Municipal digital infrastructure is often deprioritized until it becomes a liability. Stow needed a practical, staff-owned platform grounded in how residents actually use it. This engagement demonstrates: experience within municipal budget constraints; discovery-led process; WCAG compliance as baseline; platform recommendations based on organizational fit; partnership model with complementary expertise.

Contact JAM Creative at hello@jamcreative.co for government digital projects.