Case Study 4

Driving Usability and Accessibility Improvements for Satair (an Airbus Subsidiary)

Role: UX Researcher

Client: Satair (Airbus)

Period: August 2023 - December 2023

Overview

Building on my previous work with Satair’s Non-Available Inventory (NAI) Project, at request of client, I returned to conduct further usability testing and implement accessibility enhancements. This case study highlights my contributions to two major areas:

The NAI Project – Improving tracking workflows for unavailable inventory.
The Employee Help Center – Enhancing the IT service portal for better usability and accessibility.

For further information regarding the NAI project, kindly refer to the following link: Case Study 1

Challenges & Goals

Non-Available Inventory (NAI) Project – Usability Testing and Refinement
- Challenge: After initial improvements (detailed in Case Study 1), further testing was needed to assess whether the redesigned workflows fully resolved previous usability issues.
- Goal: Validate the effectiveness of prior enhancements and identify remaining pain points for further refinement.
Employee Help Center – Accessibility and Usability Improvements
- Challenge: Employees struggled with IT self-service tools due to accessibility issues, unclear navigation, and difficulty locating relevant help resources.
- Goal: Improve the portal’s accessibility, structure, and overall usability to enhance employee experience and reduce reliance on IT support.

My Role & Responsibilities

As the lead UX researcher, I conducted:

Usability Testing & Accessibility Audits:
- Evaluated NAI workflows and the Employee Help Center through moderated usability tests and automated accessibility testing (WCAG compliance checks).
Stakeholder Collaboration:
- Partnered with IT specialists and developers to ensure research findings translated into actionable improvements.
User Research & Competitive Benchmarking:
- Conducted in-depth user interviews and compared industry best practices to recommend refinements.
Iterative Design Feedback & Validation:
- Worked closely with designers to refine navigation, labeling, and interaction flows based on usability insights.

Approach & Methodology

Research & User Testing
- Conducted 10+ usability testing sessions with employees from different departments.
- Measured task completion rates, error rates, and time-on-task to gauge efficiency improvements.
- Key Findings:
  - NAI Tracking Issues: Users still encountered confusion in navigation and inefficiencies in data retrieval.
  - Help Center Issues: Accessibility barriers (low contrast, lack of keyboard navigation), unclear categorization of help topics, and redundant steps hindered efficiency.
Accessibility Enhancements
- WCAG Audit & Fixes:
  - Improved color contrast for readability.
  - Enhanced keyboard navigability and screen reader compatibility.
- Simplified Information Architecture:
  - Restructured help topics to improve findability and reduce search time.
Impact Validation & Refinements
- Conducted a post-implementation usability test to validate improvements.
- Collected user feedback through surveys and interviews.
- Final Results:
  - NAI Tracking Usability: Improved task completion rate by 30%.
  - Employee Help Center Efficiency: Reduced average time to find IT help by 40%.

Impact & Results

30% increase in NAI workflow efficiency based on post-test usability scores.
40% faster task completion time in the Employee Help Center, reducing IT workload.
Accessibility compliance improved, meeting WCAG 2.1 AA standards.
Stronger employee adoption of self-service tools, decreasing reliance on IT support.

Personal Achievement

As the UX Researcher, I played a pivotal role in ensuring that usability and accessibility were at the core of both projects. My ability to synthesize complex findings into clear, actionable recommendations led to tangible improvements in employee experience. Additionally, this project strengthened my expertise in WCAG accessibility compliance, further solidifying my role as a researcher advocating for inclusive design.

Reflections & Learnings

Iterative Research Drives Long-Term Success: Returning to validate past work provided insights into how usability issues evolve over time.
Accessibility is Essential, Not Optional: Addressing small barriers had a significant impact on user efficiency and satisfaction.
Cross-Functional Collaboration is Key: Engaging IT, service designers, and employees throughout the process ensured alignment and successful implementation.

This case study highlights the power of continuous research, iterative improvements, and a strong commitment to accessibility in enterprise UX.