Town of Apple Valley Website Redesign
The Town of Apple Valley needed a complete redesign of its public-facing website. The previous platform was outdated, non-compliant, difficult to navigate, and costly—more than $13,000 per year for a system that allowed anyone to modify templates and unintentionally break the site’s structure.
As the Town’s in-house Lead Designer for UI/UX + Accessibility, I led the redesign and built a modern, WCAG 2.2 AA–compliant website centered around clear services, citizen needs, and long-term maintainability.
The new design reduces content bloat, simplifies the navigation, establishes a consistent visual system, and supports plain-language communication—creating a website that is accessible, stable, and built for real people.
My Role:
Lead Designer & Accessibility Specialist
Responsibilities:
Accessibility • UX/UI • Information Architecture • Compliance Strategy • Content Design
Deliverables:
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Accessibility Audit & Remediation
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UX Research & Content Architecture
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UI Design & Visual System
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WCAG 2.2 AA Compliance Verification
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Content Rewrite for Plain Language Act
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Department Templates & Editing Guidance
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Training + Documentation for Long-Term Governance
Project Challenges
Full Rebrand and Platform Replacement
The existing website platform was widely disliked and no longer met the Town’s needs. The project required a full rebrand and a complete rebuild on a new platform, selected to support centralization, self-maintenance, and long-term control.
Accessibility, Compliance, and Plain-Language Requirements
The site needed to meet accessibility and compliance expectations while remaining usable and readable for the public. All website copy was rewritten using plain-language standards, and accessibility decisions were made in coordination with leadership and legal stakeholders.
Content Cleanup, Deadlines, and Department Coordination
More than one thousand pages of outdated, inconsistent, and duplicated content had to be reviewed, rewritten, and reduced to a manageable structure. Because some departments missed content deadlines and the legacy platform was expiring, the site launched early and continues to be refined through ongoing collaboration.
My Approach
I approached the redesign with accessibility, structure, and long-term sustainability as the foundation. Municipal websites must meet ADA Title II and WCAG 2.2 AA requirements, so compliance informed every design and content decision from the start.
The project began with a new brand system to establish clarity, consistency, and usability before any interface work began. I then analyzed two years of Google Analytics data and reviewed feedback from both a public resident survey and an internal staff survey. These findings confirmed that the existing site had a cluttered menu and task-based failures that made information difficult to find.
Using this data, I restructured the site into a service-based IA focused on how residents actually use municipal services. I explored two interface directions in Adobe XD and combined the strongest elements into a unified, readable design system.
To support long-term maintenance, centralized control, and reduced licensing costs, I recommended rebuilding the site on WordPress using Divi. Controlled editing permissions and consistent templates were implemented.
All public-facing content was rewritten using plain-language standards.
The site launched in phases as departments submitted final materials and continues to be improved through ongoing updates.
The Process
Research and Direction
I began by reviewing resident and internal survey results alongside two years of website analytics. This helped identify usability failures, cluttered navigation, and content that no longer matched how residents actually use municipal services.
Structure and Design
Based on those findings, I restructured the site into a service-based information architecture. I designed two high-fidelity interface options in Adobe XD and refined them into a single, readable system that aligned with the new brand and accessibility requirements.
Build, Content, and Launch
The site was rebuilt on WordPress using Divi to support centralized control and long-term maintenance. Content was rewritten using plain-language standards and accessibility considerations. Because of platform expiration and delayed department submissions, the site launched in phases and continues to evolve through ongoing updates.
Style Guide
A full style guide—created before development—defined color, typography, spacing, iconography, and layout rules. This ensured consistent design decisions and gave staff a clear, future-proof system to follow.
Color System
The color palette was built using high-contrast values that meet WCAG 2.2 AA for text and interactive elements.
Typography
Body text was set for clean, accessible reading, supporting both mobile users and screen-reader flow.
Results
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Reduced the website from 1,008 pages to approximately 80, removing outdated, duplicate, and conflicting content.
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Replaced an unpopular legacy platform with a centralized, self-maintainable website built on WordPress and Divi.
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Introduced a service-based information architecture, making it easier for residents to find and complete tasks.
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Rewrote all public-facing content using plain-language standards, improving clarity and usability.
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Implemented consistent templates and controlled editing permissions to support long-term maintenance.
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Launched the site early due to platform expiration, with ongoing enhancements as departments continue to provide feedback and content.
(Note: The website is live and in ongoing development as new content and improvements are added.)