Welcome to Our Town

Project Overview

An hour north of San Francisco you'll find Petaluma - a historic northern California town in Sonoma County, nestled between wine country and a winding riverfront. Welcome to Our Town is a public-facing visitor guide for tourists, local explorers, and anyone who wants a more engaging way to discover Petaluma. The experience combines local information, imagery, and interactive elements in a guided format.

Challenge

As an instructional designer, the challenge was familiar: how do you turn information into an experience? A web search can tell someone what exists, but it doesn't necessarily help them understand a place, decide what interests them, or feel connected to it.

Design Approach

I developed the experience in Articulate Rise 360 to create a clean, responsive, and mobile-friendly guided tour. Accessibility was built into the design from the start. The module uses WCAG AA color contrast, closed captions and transcripts for media, large touch-friendly buttons, logical keyboard and focus order, descriptive link text, and alt text for images.

Outcome

One reviewer noted that the experience made him want to visit Petaluma. That felt like the right outcome for a project designed to make information about a place feel inviting and useful. If I were to redevelop it, I'd add a personalized itinerary builder so visitors could select their interests and receive a path through town that feels like their own.