User Research
Link to Site: New Jersey Disability Information Hub
Project Stakeholders: New Jersey Department of Human Services, New Jersey Office of Information Technology, and The Office of the Governor
In 2024 at the Office of Innovation, I worked with the New Jersey Department of Human Services (DHS), the New Jersey Office of Information Technology, and the Governor’s Office to develop an online information hub for people with disabilities. Before this website, people with disabilities and their caregivers had to navigate potentially a dozen separate division and agency websites to find information about programs and services. DHS publishes a resources guide that is beloved by the community, but is only updated and printed on an annual basis. For individuals who are visually impaired or whose first language is American Sign Language, this 270 page print guide is inaccessible.
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Tabling at the Abilities Expo with Division of Disability Services
The Research Process
To inform the structure and accessibility needs for the website, we conducted extensive user interviews with people with disabilities and caregivers throughout New Jersey. At the Office of Innovation, I paired with a service designer to recruit, facilitate, and synthesize actionable next steps from these interviews. From March through April, we conducted one-on-one interviews with over two dozen individuals with a disability, caregivers who support people with disabilities, and community-based organizations in the space.
Research Accommodations and Trauma-Informed Approach
To conduct research with people who have disabilities, we consulted with people who directly serve this community. The Division for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing provided ASL translations during calls. They also recommended we used Zoom because the software had better support for real-time closed captioning. For people who are deafblind, we worked with their personal interpreter for the conversation. Almost all individuals preferred to have a virtual because it was easier to access than getting to a physical location. Some individuals preferred an in-person option and we were available at the Abilities Expo in Edison, NJ.
We made trauma-informed choices about who to speak with for this study. We chose not to speak with individuals who were recently diagnosed within a year of the study. We also followed the lead of individuals in how they chose to self-identify and describe their disability.
Project Stakeholders: New Jersey Department of Human Services, New Jersey Office of Information Technology, and The Office of the Governor
In 2024 at the Office of Innovation, I worked with the New Jersey Department of Human Services (DHS), the New Jersey Office of Information Technology, and the Governor’s Office to develop an online information hub for people with disabilities. Before this website, people with disabilities and their caregivers had to navigate potentially a dozen separate division and agency websites to find information about programs and services. DHS publishes a resources guide that is beloved by the community, but is only updated and printed on an annual basis. For individuals who are visually impaired or whose first language is American Sign Language, this 270 page print guide is inaccessible.
Tabling at the Abilities Expo with Division of Disability ServicesThe Research Process
To inform the structure and accessibility needs for the website, we conducted extensive user interviews with people with disabilities and caregivers throughout New Jersey. At the Office of Innovation, I paired with a service designer to recruit, facilitate, and synthesize actionable next steps from these interviews. From March through April, we conducted one-on-one interviews with over two dozen individuals with a disability, caregivers who support people with disabilities, and community-based organizations in the space.
Research Accommodations and Trauma-Informed Approach
To conduct research with people who have disabilities, we consulted with people who directly serve this community. The Division for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing provided ASL translations during calls. They also recommended we used Zoom because the software had better support for real-time closed captioning. For people who are deafblind, we worked with their personal interpreter for the conversation. Almost all individuals preferred to have a virtual because it was easier to access than getting to a physical location. Some individuals preferred an in-person option and we were available at the Abilities Expo in Edison, NJ.
We made trauma-informed choices about who to speak with for this study. We chose not to speak with individuals who were recently diagnosed within a year of the study. We also followed the lead of individuals in how they chose to self-identify and describe their disability.
In-person conversation guide used at the Abilities Expo
Conversation Guide Overview
The hour long conversation guide was split into three major sections.
The first section gave the team a chance to introduce ourselves and learn more about the individual and their goals and aspirations.
The next section focused on a beta version of the disability hub homepage to get initial reactions. We followed the individual’s lead on what they might be interested in learning more about, as well as understanding what content they thought was missing. For individuals with screen readers, we were interested in understanding if the site’s navigation was easy to get around or if there would be any issues with dropdowns.
The last section of the conversation led us to where individuals wanted to navigate to regarding their interest areas.
The hour long conversation guide was split into three major sections.
The first section gave the team a chance to introduce ourselves and learn more about the individual and their goals and aspirations.
The next section focused on a beta version of the disability hub homepage to get initial reactions. We followed the individual’s lead on what they might be interested in learning more about, as well as understanding what content they thought was missing. For individuals with screen readers, we were interested in understanding if the site’s navigation was easy to get around or if there would be any issues with dropdowns.
The last section of the conversation led us to where individuals wanted to navigate to regarding their interest areas.
Accessibility Findings
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Headings Map of the Disability Information Hub
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Feedback Widget
In terms of accessibility findings, we were able to make heading structures more consistent as a result of this testing. This helped individuals with screen readers quickly access information. We also developed a “Get Help Now” section that highlighted key services, contact information, and call lines for more immediate support. Lastly, we added a feedback widget at the bottom of each page so that people can leave feedback if there was any content that was missing.
Headings Map of the Disability Information Hub
Feedback Widget
In terms of accessibility findings, we were able to make heading structures more consistent as a result of this testing. This helped individuals with screen readers quickly access information. We also developed a “Get Help Now” section that highlighted key services, contact information, and call lines for more immediate support. Lastly, we added a feedback widget at the bottom of each page so that people can leave feedback if there was any content that was missing.
The Impact
DHS had launched the site (video link) on July 27th, which is ADA Day. At the launch event, individuals from the disability community spoke about their experiences finding resources and how the disability information hub helps the community.
To continue the effort to make a living and breathing online resource, we worked with DHS to hire and onboard a content manager for the disability information hub. Moving forward, the team will have the opportunity to work with this new hire to share our research practices with the disability community.
DHS had launched the site (video link) on July 27th, which is ADA Day. At the launch event, individuals from the disability community spoke about their experiences finding resources and how the disability information hub helps the community.
To continue the effort to make a living and breathing online resource, we worked with DHS to hire and onboard a content manager for the disability information hub. Moving forward, the team will have the opportunity to work with this new hire to share our research practices with the disability community.
ADA Launch Day Event, July 26th