National Park Service UX
Empowering National Park Services to become more inclusive.
A11Y
Web
UX Research & Interaction design
Overview
Role
UX Researcher
Responsibilities
User research, UX/UI design, Usability testing, Interaction design
Timeline
14 weeks
Collaborators
2 Designers
How might we make the NPS website more accessible and inclusive?
The Challenge
NPS supports about 318 million visitors every year. Acc to the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA Accessibility) , any web product/service needs to be fully accessible.
Upon talking to a few users with special needs, I got to know their pain points and concluded that NPS website is not a 'A11Y' friendly. As a result, this project aims to come up with A11Y recommendations.
Solution/s
Seizure Safe Profile
reduces risks for users prone to seizures by eliminating flashing lights, rapid animations, and certain color contrasts.
Vision Impaired Profile
makes websites readable by screen readers and offers visual adjustments for those with vision impairments, simplifying navigation through keyboard shortcuts and enhancing readability with contrast and font changes.
ADHD Friendly Profile
minimizes distractions with a clean layout, reduces motion, and highlights essential information to aid users with ADHD in focusing on key content.
Cognitive Disability Profile
designs for ease of use with predictable navigation, simple language, and supportive visuals to help users with cognitive impairments understand and interact with digital content more easily.
Investigating in & out about the problem
To address the critical objective of enhancing the accessibility and inclusivity of the National Park Service website, I embarked on a comprehensive investigation which involved:
Heuristic evaluation
Conducting user surveys
Conducting accessibility audit of the National Park Service website under Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1.
The website remains non-compliant with the accessibility standards with a score of 76%, highlighting crucial areas needing improvement to achieve full accessibility for all users.
User Research
Research and design process, from initial concept to final execution, organized the results of the study into a few categories
Heuristic evaluations
User surveys
User interviews
Prototypes
Usability test results
Heuristic Evaluation
In this study, I examined Jakob Neilsen's 10 usability guidelines for Usability issues and measured on Molich and Jeffries' severity scale.
Minor
Serious
CatastrophicHeuristic evaluation
This revealed areas for improvement, particularly in enhancing the UI and alternative text for images and ensuring all functionality is accessible via keyboard navigation for screen reader.
Surveys & Results
Surveys were conducted to collect feedback from a wide array of users, including those with special needs, focusing on their challenges and desired improvements in website navigation, content clarity, and overall satisfaction.
Responses indicated a critical need for enhanced accessibility options for users with visual and cognitive disabilities, along with improvements to the user interface for a better visual experience.
User Interviews
Usability test & Results
After conducting thorough user research, I put together a usability test plan. This plan led to testing 10 specific tasks with 5 participants in a remote, moderated setup.
The outcomes from this testing revealed a range of serious issues, from significant obstacles to major problems, which were depicted in a pie chart. Among these, navigating the media gallery section stood out as particularly challenging for users, and overall, tasks took longer to complete than expected.
Scope for Redesign
Following the comprehensive analysis and insights gathered from user surveys, usability testing and the results of the accessibility audit, I have started ideating the strategic redesign of the National Park Service website's user interface (UI) and several key areas identified through the insights gathering process:
Accessibility Enhancements
Navigation and Readability Improvements
Content Clarity and Simplification
Enchance UI to make users connected
Designs
Developed prototypes to address issues identified in earlier evaluations. I have pushed my prototypes for a round of testing with 5 participants where I got in-depth data of positive outcomes.
The average time to finish a task had reduced to 5.1 seconds with an increase of 80% efficiency. (Previous: 10 seconds).
User Impact
Improved Accessibility Score
Post-redesign, the website's accessibility score increased from 76% to 92%.
Reduced Bounce Rate by 15%
The bounce rate is decreased by 15%.
Increased User Satisfaction by 30%
User satisfaction surveys post-redesign showed a 30% increase in positive feedback.
Enhanced Engagement by 20%
Metrics revealed a 20% increase in the average time spent on the site per visit.
Key Takeaways
User Feedback is Invaluable
Engaging with real users, especially those with disabilities, provided insights that no automated tool could. Their feedback was crucial in identifying areas for improvement and validating the effectiveness of the redesign.
Continuous Improvement is Essential
Continuous monitoring and iteration based on user feedback and evolving standards are crucial to maintaining and improving the site's accessibility.
principle of inclusivity,
This project has set a precedent for future endeavors, emphasizing that at the heart of great design is the principle of inclusivity, ensuring that digital experiences are accessible and enjoyable for everyone.