Financial Literacy Program

Executive Summary

The problem: Student loan debt continues to rise in the United States. According to Student Loan Hero, the Class of 2017 graduated with an average of $39,400 in student loan debt. Each year this amount increases. Carrying large amounts of debt can greatly affect the choices a young person makes and the opportunities they are able to pursue. For instance, a student who has $40,000 in debt may not be able to pursue unpaid internships, or study abroad opportunities, because they need higher income to pay back debts. Since this debt can have such an impact on their lives, it is very important to ensure everyone has access to clear and concise information on student loans and other financial basics.

This website is designed to help students who are taking on student loan debt learn and apply beneficial financial habits. Topics covered here include interest rates, credit scores, and budgeting. When students leave this site, they should have a basic understanding of their credit report and credit scores, know how to create a basic budget, and understand their loan repayment options.

    Evaluation components for this Instructional Design are:
  1. Students can explain importance of credit scores and obtain an official credit report.
  2. Students can identify ways to improve credit reports.
  3. Students can identify the different types of federal student loan repayment options.
  4. Students can set up a basic budget
  5. All information is presented in clear and concise manner, with actionable steps
  6. A system is in place for students to provide feedback and ask questions.
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Issue Impact Summary

This website has been designed with emphasis on accessibility and general usability. The considerations made in the design of this site are listed below.

Contrast

The colors used on this website provide a contrast that meet the AA level requirements of WebAIM. Text smaller than 18pts has a contrast ratio of at least 4.5:1, and text larger than 18pts has a ratio of at least 3:1.

ARIA Landmarks

ARIA roles have been used to clearly define the sections of the website (header, main, footer, navigation). Additionally, ARIA labels have been used to explain links to outside webpages for screen readers.

Page Structure

A consistent and minimal page template has been used with clear alignment of page elements. This enables easy scanning of the page for important information. Each page is split into three sections, header, main content, and footer and each section uses a tag that works with screen readers.

Table Formatting

Tables have a consistent color pattern that uses alternative line highlighting to improve readability. Table captions and headers are defined with appropriate tags, and scope elements are used to work well screen readers. Cells are not allowed to span multiple rows or columns.

Alt Text

Images that are not purely decorational utilize alt tags and long descriptions when necessary to explain the image contents for people who may be using screen readers.

Navigation

This website uses a consistent and persistent top navigation bar with clearly defined states. Additionally, consistent page navigation and skip links have been implemented to move quickly throughout the page.

Form Structure

All form input fields are associated with a label to improve interaction with screen readers.

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