Breaking Ground: Government Assistive Technology User Testing and Process Development
Through targeted research, in-depth user interviews, and close collaboration with cross-functional teams, the project uncovered critical barriers and led to key technical updates that enhanced site accessibility. Beyond improving the platform, the research provided deep insights into the needs, challenges, and experiences of the people involved, shaping a more inclusive and user-centered approach.
The Problem
USAGov was built to serve millions, but for users relying on assistive technology, it wasn’t delivering. I led an in-depth accessibility testing initiative to change that. By conducting real-world usability testing with screen reader and keyboard users, we uncovered critical barriers—complex navigation, inaccessible forms, and unclear workflows. Collaborating with designers and engineers, we reworked key components, ensuring a seamless experience for all users. The result? A 91.6% accessibility rating post-launch and an award-winning commitment to digital inclusivity that set a new standard for government websites.
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Designing the Research Plan
To uncover accessibility barriers, I developed a detailed generative user testing plan targeting individuals who use assistive technology. The plan included:
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Exploring participants’ prior interactions with government websites to identify common frustrations and expectations.
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Evaluating specific site components I identified as complex or problematic, ensuring the focus was on areas with the highest potential for usability issues.
My Role
Led Assistive technology usability research for USAGov
I spearheaded a grassroots research and user testing initiative to identify and address accessibility barriers on USAGov for individuals using assistive technologies like screen readers and keyboard navigation. Through direct outreach, I engaged users often overlooked in traditional testing, gathering firsthand insights into their challenges. I conducted in-depth interviews and task-based evaluations, revealing critical usability issues. These findings drove key design and engineering improvements, ensuring a more inclusive and seamless digital experience for people with disabilities.
I conducted user interviews both in person and remotely, ensuring diverse participation and real-world testing environments.
Each session began with open-ended questions to understand participants’ experiences accessing government resources online, followed by task-based testing on flagged areas such as complex navigation menus, forms, and search functionality.
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Exremely low vision user
Braille keyboard
Refreshable braille display in action.
To organize my thoughts and streamline the research process, I used a Mural board for the majority of my thought mapping and note-taking. This allowed me to visually capture insights from user interviews, highlight recurring themes, and track key accessibility barriers.
The Mural board became a dynamic tool for connecting complex ideas, refining solutions, and guiding the project toward meaningful improvements.
To foster collaboration and streamline the note-taking process, we created a Mural template that allowed team members to contribute individually while maintaining a shared space for comparison.
This template provided a structured yet flexible environment for each team member to document their insights and ideas, enabling seamless alignment and collective problem-solving. It not only empowered individuals to work at their own pace but also created an open space for comparing thoughts, facilitating stronger collaboration and a unified approach to addressing accessibility challenges.
Data Collection and Analysis
Team Collaboration and Data Sharing
Teammates were invited to join interview sessions as observers and note-takers, fostering cross-functional involvement in the research process. After each session, we convened as a group to share and synthesize findings. This collaborative approach helped disseminate the data and ensured shared understanding of user pain points across teams.
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Tracking and Analyzing Data
I meticulously tracked and analyzed data from the interviews to identify patterns, recurring challenges, and opportunities for improvement. These insights formed the foundation for iterative design changes and accessibility enhancements.
Collaboration and Iteration
I worked closely with the accessibility team to review flagged issues and brainstorm solutions. Together, we addressed key problem areas such as:
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Redesigning navigation structures for screen reader compatibility.
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Simplifying workflows to reduce cognitive and physical effort.
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Ensuring full keyboard accessibility for all interactive elements.
A very key note is that
an action a user takes acts as a landmark
User quote
"I’m a strong, strong proponent of making certain the accessible name of something absolutely matches the on screen text for it.
I realize fully this is not what WCAG requires…​
One of the places I feel like accessibility is going dreadfully wrong these days is the amount of times where the accessible name for something differs from the on screen name. And even if that on screen name is dead on accurate, even if it is ultra helpful, it creates a vast chasm when it comes time to communicate between somebody using a screen reader and somebody who is not....
And so I feel we increasingly often are breaking experiences by making that accessible name differ from whatever’s on screen because screen readers do an absolute abysmal job of empowering the user to say, “OK I heard that you said the birthday field. What does a sighted user see here? Do they see an icon of a birthday cake, do they see 12 candles, what do they see?”
Results and Impact
The project uncovered several key accessibility challenges and opportunities, providing invaluable insights into how users, especially those relying on assistive technologies, interact with the platform. Through in-depth user research and technical evaluation, we identified critical issues that impacted navigation, content clarity, and overall user experience.
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Key Findings:
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Clear Use of Headings: A well-structured hierarchy of heading levels greatly aids screen reader navigation.
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Effective Calls to Action: Specific and clear calls to action improve user navigation, as opposed to vague links like “click here.”
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Focus Management: Pop-ups were not properly focused on, leaving users without a clear indication of where they are on the page.
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Navigation Challenges: Sticky navigation interfered with users needing magnification, while moving content or videos created significant barriers.
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Landmarks as Navigation Aids: Actions taken by users served as effective landmarks, but screen reader support for drop-down menus and toggling actions was insufficient.
Actions Taken:
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Resolved Key Navigation Issues: Improved link labeling for logos, ensured one press/enter took users to the homepage, and added more options to the Skip navigation feature.
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Refined Consistency and Structure: Addressed the issue of redundant announcements in the left navigation, implemented clearer naming conventions, and optimized the sticky navigation for users with magnifiers.
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Form and Dropdown Accessibility: Ensured the dropdown menus were clearly labeled, removed confusing elements like “X” to clear content, and added state abbreviations for consistency with vote.gov.
Ongoing and Future Actions:
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Focus on Screen Reader Support: We plan to update the language on drop-down menus to eliminate confusing terminology like “toggle.”
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Improving Search Interactions: Identified user confusion around the Search Results page, which will be addressed with an upcoming update from Search.gov.
Results:
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Established a Sustainable Accessibility Framework: Created a structure for ongoing testing to ensure continuous improvement in accessibility.
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Improved User Experiences: Significant improvements were made for users relying on assistive technologies, supporting USAGov’s ongoing commitment to inclusivity.
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Informed Future Accessibility Priorities: The research and feedback from users have directly shaped the direction of future accessibility initiatives.
These efforts not only enhanced the platform's accessibility but also ensured that future updates would prioritize inclusivity and usability for all users, setting a high standard for ongoing and future projects.