Website redesign promotes inclusivity, accessibility, and mobile-friendly responsive design
SALEM, Ore., June 3, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — As part of ongoing efforts to promote financial empowerment and improve accessibility, the Oregon College Savings Plan (OCSP), a program of the Oregon State Treasury, today announced the launch of their newly redesigned website. The celebratory event comes on the heels of reaching a milestone $3 billion saved for education and training and just in time for OCSP’s 23-year anniversary.
Our new website offers a seamless experience across languages and devices, aiming to empower underserved communities.
“We are delighted to introduce the Oregon College Savings Plan’s newly redesigned website to our current and future savers,” said State Treasurer Tobias Read. “The new website was designed to be accessible and understandable to everyone, regardless of the language they speak or their level of experience with investing. We’re proud to break down barriers and help Oregon families make informed decisions about their futures.”
The new website was designed with several key improvements in mind, all of which aim to enhance the online user experience. One of the most significant changes is the responsive design, ensuring that the website is accessible and user-friendly on all devices, particularly mobile phones, which can serve as the primary computers for people in many communities across the state.
Also, with increased accessibility in mind, the site offers translation into the seven most commonly spoken languages in Oregon—Spanish, Vietnamese, Chinese, Russian, Korean, Ukrainian, and Arabic—and viewing in fourteen languages total; allowing users to access content in their native language. In its new form, the website maintains high standards of ADA compliance, in service to people experiencing a visual disability.
“By offering a seamless experience across languages and devices with our new website, the Oregon College Savings Plan aims to empower underserved communities and propel them to early action in saving for education and training after high school,” said Ryan Mann, Executive Director of the Oregon Treasury Savings Network. “We believe that accessibility is not just a nicety, but a necessity for creating a truly inclusive online experience for all Oregonians.”
The user-friendly interface and streamlined navigation of the new website make it easier for Oregon families to learn about the benefits of saving for education after high school, and to sign up for an account. The site includes helpful resources and tools, including a simple-to-use savings calculator to help families with decision-making. The experience of navigating the investment portfolio options has also undergone a refresh, with easy-to-understand snapshots of each offering, and intuitive filtering capabilities based on the beneficiary’s expected enrollment year in higher education, or their investment timeline.
OCSP’s online gifting program allows friends and family to contribute to a loved one’s account with ease—including the ability to recycle and save for education with BottleDrop—and demonstrates how saving for education can be a collaborative effort with a low barrier to entry.
The Oregon College Savings Plan is a state-sponsored higher education savings program that comes with special tax advantages and can be opened by just about anyone.
Contact: Kasey Krifka
kasey.krifka@ost.state.or.us
503-431-7976
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SOURCE Oregon College Savings Plan
