Athena now works for everyone, no matter how you browse
Not everyone navigates a website the same way. If you use a screen reader because of a visual impairment, rely on keyboard navigation instead of a mouse, or increase your browser's text size to read comfortably — parts of Athena's application used to be confusing or outright unusable. This week, we completed a major round of work to fix that across the entire application.
Whether you use assistive technology or simply prefer keyboard navigation, you can now move through every step of your Athena application without getting stuck or lost.
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Text is easier to read on every screen We adjusted the colors used throughout the application so that text — including labels, helper messages, and error alerts — meets a higher contrast standard. If you've ever squinted at faint grey text on a white background, those moments should be gone.
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Text scales when you increase your browser font size If you have your browser set to display larger text, Athena's layout now grows with it instead of breaking or overflowing. Your words and numbers stay readable no matter what size you prefer.
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Forms are fully navigable by keyboard Every input field, dropdown, and selector in the application — including date pickers and verification code entry — now works correctly when you tab through the page or use arrow keys. You'll also hear clear announcements if you're using a screen reader, so you always know where you are and what's expected.
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It's clearer where you are in the application Each page now has a properly structured layout with clear headings, a skip link so you can jump straight to the main content, and an updated page title that tells assistive technology exactly where you've landed. If you navigate away and come back, your screen reader will announce the new page correctly.
The application feels a little more alive
Small visual details have a way of making a process feel more human. When you're going through something as significant as buying a home or refinancing, a polished, responsive experience matters. This week we added animated illustrations to the application header that bring a bit of warmth to the journey — without slowing anything down.
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Header illustrations now animate smoothly The pictogram illustrations at the top of your application screens now play a short, smooth animation when you arrive. If you hover over them, they'll replay. If you've turned on reduced-motion settings in your operating system, they'll stay still — we respect that preference.
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Images load ahead of time so pages feel instant When your connection is strong and your device is idle, Athena quietly pre-loads the illustrations for the pages you're likely to visit next. On slow or data-limited connections, it skips this to keep your current page loading fast.
Behind the Scenes
Technical improvements you won't see, but should trust.