New City Websites Improve User Experience, Mobile Display

July 5, 2018 – The City of Wilsonville has launched a new family of websites that provide community members with better access to city services and information.

The City’s primary website, ci.wilsonville.or.us, is now more accessible from mobile devices, including cell phones. The site is easier to navigate, more secure, and provides an expanded calendar of events.

Sites for the Wilsonville Library (wilsonvillelibrary.org), SMART Transit (ridesmart.com) and Wilsonville Parks and Recreation (wilsonvilleparksandrec.com) are also redesigned.

The City’s website redesign project is the first in nearly five years. Each of the new sites includes unique branding; all are organized to highlight information people are most often looking for.

Developed with Municode (formerly Aha!), Wilsonville’s new sites allow City staff to earmark content to appear in multiple places. When the Library updates the event calendar, for example, the update also posts on the City’s calendar.

“Previously, users had to jump from site to site in search of information. Our new sites provide users with a more seamless experience, said Systems Analyst Beth Wolf, the project manager.

The design, which incorporates the logo and colors adopted in 2017, has been influenced by staff testing and public user-testing events at the Wilsonville Library.

“We could see in real time how residents use the site to accomplish certain tasks,” Wolf said. “As a result, we adjusted certain features to improve the navigation.”

Project leaders sought compliance with the American Disabilities Act (ADA) and Section 508 of the Workforce Rehabilitation Act, which ensures that government technology meets federal accessibility requirements for use by people with disabilities. ADA features include alternative text for all images, keyboard-only navigation, and a style guide to ensure that the colors are easily visible.

Since the site’s launch in early June, project leaders shifted to evaluating how the sites are functioning. Site users who would like to share feedback about new features or performance issues may contact Wolf at wolf@ci.wilsonville.or.us, 503-570-1513.