In this project, IncluCity Calgary collaborated with the City of Calgary's Web and Digital team on a user testing pilot project for digital equity.

Project Overview

Project duration:

May - December 2023

Methodology:

Usability testing

35 usability tests were conducted with equity-seeking groups, including newcomers, people with disabilities, older adults, and other population groups. 7 City of Calgary's digital services participated in this study.

My role and responsibilities:

• Volunteer UX Researcher

• Note-taking during usability tests

• Analyzing findings

• Providing insights during the reporting phase

Goals:

1. Find opportunities to improve access to digital services by identifying common usability barriers for each subpopulation. 

2. Demonstrate to service owners the value of user testing with equity-deserving groups and create organizational change to build services based on user needs.

3. ​Provide a case study to operationalize user testing as a practice for digital service development beyond the pilot phase.​

Through our pilot program, we were able to uncover 18 equity challenges and opportunities for growth across all 7 participating services.