Meaningful improvements don’t always require a complete redesign. My updates primarily centered around improving the user experience, especially in regard to locating information, as well as accessibility. As someone relatively unfamiliar with the Coalition until a Design Research Methods course I took in Fall 2024, there were aspects I found confusing as a newcomer. Using that personal experience to inform this guided special project in the following semester, I focused on clarifying the Coalition’s work in advocating for the improvement of Folsom Boulevard and the means through which they do it. A news section inspired by those on neighborhood association websites was also added to increase the sense of community.
My work on accessibility required small amounts of custom HTML and CSS, as there were some slight issues in the structure of the WordPress theme being used. I also needed to provide an alternative to the added carousel gallery, as it was not keyboard-friendly. Because the WordPress.com plan did not allow custom plugins at the time, I could not try a different gallery.
In 2026, with the addition of plugin support to the plan in use, I switched to a different carousel solution, though an alternative is still provided to ensure browser support and offer another option to access the captions.
Note: I retained most aspects of visual identity from the previous site, including the logo and colors. Font use was also kept similar but more consistent.