City of Bend previews redesigned website with accessibility, plain‑language goals

Jacob Riggle, a user‑experience designer for the City of Bend, previewed a prototype of the city’s redesigned website at the City of Bend Accessibility Advisory Committee meeting on Aug. 28, 2025. The redesign emphasizes web accessibility, clearer language and a mobile‑first layout, and staff said they plan community user testing before a full launch in January 2026.

The committee heard that the city is working with Boulder design firm Moxie Sozo and that the project aims to meet WCAG 2.1 AA standards. "We're going to make sure that everything meets the WCAG, 2.1, double a standards," Riggle said. He said the city has audited department sections, pared down content, and will continue to iterate after launch based on community feedback.

City staff said accessibility changes in the prototype include larger default type (a minimum of 16 pixels), increased line spacing, clearer heading hierarchy for screen readers, attention to color and contrast ratios, and improved keyboard/tab navigation. Riggle described design goals to reduce clutter and improve readability, and to avoid relying on color alone to convey meaning.

Committee members raised specific accessibility concerns. Liz Diether Martin and others warned that hover‑driven animations and tightly spaced interactive elements could present problems for people with limited dexterity or vestibular/visual sensitivities. Riggle acknowledged those concerns and said the team will address spacing and reduce motion where needed. The prototype also will be tested with assistive technology: Riggle said the city intends to include people using screen readers in user‑acceptance testing planned for December and January.

Staff noted the scope of the site: "there are currently a little over 800 pages," Riggle said, and the city is working with departments to rewrite content in plain language and to group or remove outdated pages. He said the city plans a full site launch in January 2026, with outreach beginning in October and user acceptance testing in December/January to validate accessibility in the built product rather than only the prototype.

Committee members suggested alphabetizing service lists or ranking commonly used services, adding options for text‑to‑speech or dyslexia‑friendly typography, and ensuring mobile and tablet layouts remain usable. Riggle said the city will retain in‑house control to make changes after launch and invited the committee to participate in beta testing.

The presentation included examples of remaining issues the team will fix with the vendor, such as low contrast for some text over imagery and the use of all‑caps in interface elements. Committee members also urged plain‑English permitting pages and clearer pathways for people to find building and permit information.

The committee offered to participate in testing and follow‑up reviews. Riggle and web staff said they will share details for volunteer user testing and continue outreach to collect post‑launch feedback.