Written by Cassandra Cyphers. When working on a shared, public-facing project like your city’s website, multiple people are coming together to create content. Each person contributes unique perspectives, vocabulary, and tone of voice. But too many styles across a larger body of work like a website can feel chaotic to users. It erodes trust. A … Continued
Government websites should be built around helping people take action, not giving explanations. Most local government websites are full of passive content. They explain what the government does (like programs, laws, rules) instead of helping people with how to do something. If your website is like this, it’s not a digital service — it’s an … Continued
If you are like most government agencies, your website is full of PDFs. You create them for meeting agendas, annual reports, public notices, forms, and the list goes on. You have thousands on your website. They are easy to make and our tools make them the path of least resistance. But PDFs are both a … Continued
A lot of government PDFs are about to be against the law. Even small agencies have thousands of them. The vast majority of them aren’t accessible–and it’s expensive and time-consuming to fix them. This is a big problem. A new audit tool from Code for America Code for America just released a new AI-powered tool … Continued
Governments love FAQs. People don’t. We make FAQs because they seem like an easy way to provide information, but they actually make it harder for people to find what they are looking for. They force people to formulate what they need as a preset question. They have to scan a long, random list of questions … Continued
The new web accessibility law could mean better government services for everyone. Seize the opportunity. Accessibility is good design When we make government websites accessible, we design services that work better for everyone. Accessible websites make information: Easy to find Clear to understand Usable by everyone—regardless of their abilities Good design isn’t about aesthetics. It’s … Continued
We often visit a local government website for a simple purpose: find street sweeping hours, pay a parking ticket. Instead of clarity, we’re met with a labyrinth of links, random information, and dead-end pages. The Library of Babel is a 1940s absurdist short story about overwhelming knowledge and the search for something meaningful. Its author, … Continued
Local government agencies need to soon comply with a new federal web accessibility law. This includes making sure documents, like PDFs, are accessible. If your government agency is typical, you have a lot of PDFs. Probably thousands. They are probably not accessible. It’s expensive to make PDFs accessible through remediation services. The underlying goal of … Continued
Written in partnership with ProudCity. Communication is critical to emergency management. When disaster strikes, government must share content in ways that meet the moment. Why it matters Effective disaster communications: Lets you update faster, frequently Builds trust in government Removes confusion Keeps people safe How they get it People get disaster updates from many sources: … Continued
There’s a big election in November. While the news focuses on the presidential election, you most likely have local ballot measures and open seats on your City Council. Our communities are stronger when more people run for local office. But getting people interested in running for City Council can be hard. The process can feel … Continued
