Redesign Xbox’s Accessibility Support Page Using SME Insights
DESCRIPTION
The Xbox Accessibility Support Page case study focused on improving the discoverability, usability, and clarity of accessibility help content for players with disabilities. Insights from a focus group with accessibility SMEs led to key design refinements, contributing to an estimated 20–30% drop in related support tickets.
Role/Duration: User Research Specialist, January - February 2023
Main Contributions: Moderator's guide, focus group facilitation, data analysis, final written report
Team: 2 UI Designers, 1 Lead UX Researcher, 2 Project Managers, 1 Content Designer
Employer: Microsoft/Xbox (via Randstad Digital)
OVERVIEW
As a leader in accessible gaming, Xbox aimed to improve its Accessibility Support page by centralizing content and improving usability. I partnered with the Xbox Product Services accessibility team to redesign the page, making it easier for players to find the help they need.
THE CHALLENGE
How do we redesign the Xbox Accessibility Support page to better serve players with a wide range of accessibility needs?
BUSINESS NEED
Streamline accessibility support content to reduce support volume and reinforce Xbox’s commitment to inclusive gaming.
USER NEED
Players with disabilities needed a faster, clearer way to find accessibility-related help tailored to their needs and platform.
THE RESULTS
Improved support content discoverability, contributing to an estimated 20–30% reduction in accessibility-related support tickets.
Improved information architecture and labeling made it easier for players to locate relevant accessibility content, as reflected in stakeholder validation and SME feedback.
RESEARCH GOALS
My goal as a researcher was to evaluate the information architecture, discoverability, and understandability and to determine any pain points of these proposed designs.
Copy
Determine if wording and language used is appropriate and understandable for all audiences
Information Architecture
Determine if the article categories on the landing page are understandable for users and that the articles they link to meet user’s expectations.
Accessibility
Determine areas of high risk for accessibility and best practices to keep in mind as mockups are developed
Screenshot from the moderator's guide I wrote.
To understand the specific needs of users with disabilities, I conducted a focus group with players representing a range of cognitive, visual, mobility, and auditory disabilities. Participants reviewed three design options in our focus group:
- Version 1 (V1): Conversational, expanded layout
- Version 2 (V2): Non-conversational, expanded approach
- Version 3 (V3): Minimalist, featuring tiles and a hero section
DISCOVER & DEFINE:
FOCUS GROUP
Facilitating a group session with players of varying access needs required careful planning and flexibility. To ensure everyone felt supported and heard, I focused on three things:
- Creating a safe, inclusive environment: We began with visual self-descriptions and pronouns, set expectations up front, and encouraged open communication throughout.
- Making space for every voice: I read chat comments aloud, paused between questions to allow reflection, and checked in to ensure no one was left out of the discussion.
- Providing thoughtful accommodations: I enabled live captions, posted questions in chat for easy reference, described visuals in detail, and allowed extra time for screen reader users to process content.
FOCUS GROUP FINDINGS
During the focus group, we gathered critical insights. These shaped the new design approach which simplified navigation and grouped related resources under more intuitive categories:
All users found Version 1 (V1) of the main hub more welcoming and easier to navigate. The pyramid-like layout helped guide them through content more intuitively.
DESIGN RECOMMENDATION
Consider using the layout to more clearly group cards with similar content together.
“I prefer the first way (V1). I like having that ‘hey, check out XYZ option,’ I just feel like it gives it a more welcoming feel to the website, like it makes you feel like the people that put this website together really want you to take the time to look into everything that they're offering so you can use it to help improve your own experience.”
The H1 and H2 introduction texts helped users understand the page's purpose and if they are in the right place, but felt they were easy to miss because of their small text size.
DESIGN RECOMMENDATION
Consider increasing the text size of the H1 and H2 headings to make it more visible and noticeable.
"Well, the ‘Accessible gaming, what can we help with?’ is so small that it almost looks like I would actually miss that. You know, I actually did miss that. I didn't see it. I didn't know it was that.”
Most users found the article listing page too text-heavy and overwhelming. They compared it to a FAQ, rather than a page for browsing support articles.
DESIGN RECOMMENDATION
Consider incorporating more visual media in L2 such as illustrations, icons, video with audio descriptions. Include descriptive text that is visible without the need to drop-down to help users more easily skim through topics.
“I cannot imagine using this with a screen reader... You could also supplement a good deal of text with photos that feature alternative text or videos with audio description.”
*For the full list of insights, feel free to contact me at kddomines@gmail.com.
REFLECTION
The team found our research highly insightful after the report was presented, and developers implemented several design suggestions based on feedback from our focus group.
The changes included simplifying language, adding row headers with straightforward titles, and reducing the amount of scrolling to prevent information overload. Additionally, it was noted there are future plans implement more improvements to the Level 2 support pages by adding more visual components so information can be approachable and less text heavy.
The project taught me the impact of reaching out to the community and the value of gathering direct feedback to inform design decisions. I also learned how crucial it is to have a robust moderator's guide when facilitating group sessions. Writing down even obvious details—such including reminders to check the chat for messages or offering a 5-minute break in the script—helped me stay organized and ensure I didn’t miss anything critical during the session.
If I could revisit this project, I would consider looking into tree testing to get feedback of the findability of articles, or ask participants to participate in a card sort and compare results to the revision designs. Overall, the experience has greatly refined my approach to accessibility research and focus group preparation/execution.
contact
kddomines@gmail.com
© 2025
Katie Domines