Design for Everyone
Accessibility has always been a core focus of my design philosophy. Throughout my career, I've had the privilege of leading internal initiatives at Liberty Mutual, including the creation of a Digital Accessibility Center. I've also had the opportunity to educate and advocate for accessibility by presenting to hundreds on the importance of incorporating accessibility best practices early in the product development lifecycle, and the broader value of inclusive design. Additionally, I’ve shared my expertise at Global Accessibility Awareness Day (GAAD) and World Usability Day, furthering the conversation on how design impacts users of all abilities.
For me, accessibility isn't an afterthought or a separate task to be prioritized later—it's an integral part of my design practice. Designing for accessibility is designing for everyone. It ensures that we create products that are truly usable and valuable for a diverse range of people.
I’m excited to bring this passion, expertise, and user-centered mindset to every project I work on, delivering inclusive solutions that meet the unique needs of each client and their audience.
See below a case-study on how I lead the development of a Digital Accessibility Center for Liberty Mutual.
Digital Accessibility Center
Role: Design Lead
Techniques:
Usability test
system usability score metrics
Workshop facilitation
Tactical Design
Development Collaboration
Lessons Learned: remote workshops & usability test with users who have disabilities.
Problem
Liberty Mutual was experiencing a growing backlog of unresolved tickets for accessibility tools for their employees, with many users submitting multiple requests for the same tools. This repetition suggests that there may be underlying issues causing delays or confusion in their process, preventing users from receiving the resources they need in a timely manner.
The product team needs to identify the root causes of these repeated requests—whether it's due to process inefficiencies, unclear communication, or resource limitations—so they can streamline ticket resolution, deliver the right tools to the right users, and reduce the friction that users are encountering.
User feedback notes
User Research key takeaways
1. Before 2020, users had a designated “safe contact” in their offices who would provide them with the tools they needed in an inclusive and empathetic way, making the process much smoother for them.
2. There’s a clear gap in understanding among managers and call center representatives when it comes to the broad spectrum of disabilities. Not only are they unaware of the diverse needs users may have, but they also lack sensitivity when addressing these needs.
3. The current digital experience users are navigating is not accessible. The tools they need are difficult to discover and access, creating significant barriers that hinder their ability to get the support they require.
These findings highlight critical areas for improvement in both our processes and user experience, especially around education, empathy, and accessibility.
Outcomes
Based on these findings, we developed the Digital Accessibility Center (DAC).
The DAC was created with three key goals in mind:
Primary Goal: To provide users with an easy-to-navigate search feature that allows them to quickly find and access a list of tools from our database, ensuring they can get the resources they need without unnecessary barriers.
Secondary Goal: To offer users the ability to bypass Level 1 call-center representatives, who may not have the necessary expertise, and instead connect directly with a Level 2 representative who is more knowledgeable and capable of providing immediate, specialized assistance.
Tertiary Goal: To enable users to request new tools that are not currently available in the portal. They can create a business case and submit a ticket for our team to review and analyze, ensuring that the tools we offer continue to evolve and meet their needs.
The DAC aims to streamline the process, improve accessibility, and empower users to find the support they need more effectively.
Accessibility website to request tools.
DAC filters
Impact
The most significant impact my team had was on the filtering system for the product list. Through extensive comparative research, I discovered that leading accessibility-focused websites often categorize solutions by disability type, which made it easier for users to find the tools that best suited their needs.
By incorporating this disability-type filtering—alongside more standard filters like operating system and product categories—we were able to create a more intuitive and inclusive experience. When we launched this feature, it had a tremendous impact: users were not only able to find the tools they needed more quickly and efficiently, but they also felt more supported and understood. The feedback we received was overwhelmingly positive, and it was clear that this change significantly improved their overall experience.