Xbox Accessibility Support Site
DESCRIPTION
The Xbox Accessibility Support Page case study focused on improving the discoverability, usability, and clarity of accessibility-related content for players with disabilities. By conducting a focus group with accessibility subject matter experts, we identified opportunities to enhance the proposed designs including language clarification and layout changes.
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)
As an industry pioneer in accessible gaming, Xbox is committed to embedding accessibility into every aspect of their ecosystem, from games to support services.
To further improve our resources for Xbox players with disabilities, a project was proposed to redesign the support page. I collaborated with the Xbox Product Services accessibility team to enhance the Accessibility Support page, centralizing content and making it easier for users 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?
THE RESULT
I collaborated with a team of UX and content designers and project managers who had three proposed design revisions ready for review by the time I joined.
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
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.
These players were recruited from the Xbox Research Accessibility panel which consist of Accessibility SMEs who have undergone a vetting process prior to joining. We decided to conduct only one focus group session due to tight timelines, resources and limited availability of the Accessibility SMEs. 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
Screenshot from the moderator's guide I wrote.
Moderating a group discussion rather than one-on-one interviews presented the challenge of balancing different accessibility needs while ensuring everyone’s voice was heard.
To ensure all focus group members had a good experience, I focused on:
1) Fostering a comfortable, inclusive environment.
- Everyone had introduced themselves with pronouns and visual descriptions of what they look like.
- We set expectations at the start of the session to give participants an idea of what to exactly what to expect and encouraged open communication.
2) Ensure everyone had a chance to voice their input throughout the session.
- I read aloud any comments or questions shared in the chat to ensure they were included in the group discussion.
- I paused after each question to give everyone a chance to reflect and contribute additional thoughts or feedback.
3) Ensure that all accomodations were provided for everyone.
- I posted the discussion questions directly into the chat for easy reference.
- Closed captioning was enabled to assist participants with auditory disabilities.
- I provided visual descriptions of the designs for those who needed more detailed context.
- I gave extra time for screen reader users to listen to their reader and zoom into images as needed.
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. Some insights include:
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.
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
© 2024
Katie Domines