Accessibility testing gave the Natural History Museum something more valuable than a list of fixes: a shared, evidence-based vision for what their website should feel like for every visitor.
- Who: The Natural History Museum – a world-class visitor attraction and leading science research centre
- What: Accessibility and usability testing of the website with users with a range of access requirements
- How: Testing of 4 key user journeys to understand the challenges faced by users with accessibility requirements when navigating the journeys and understanding page content
- Result: Short term actions and long term considerations for the website backed up by user evidence
Background
The Natural History Museum is a renowned institution, recognised both as a top-tier visitor attraction and a leading centre for scientific research. Its website, nhm.ac.uk, also sees millions of visitors annually.
With the goal of enhancing the user experience, the museum wanted to ensure their digital platform offered high engagement with their content and encouraged repeat visits. A particular concern was improving the accessibility of the website for users with various access needs, including those with disabilities.
As part of a new project launch, the museum aimed to assess the usability of key website journeys, focusing on how accessible the pages were for users with accessibility requirements.
What We Did
To thoroughly test the usability and accessibility of these key website journeys, we recruited 15 participants with diverse accessibility needs, including individuals with mobility impairments, visual impairments, neurodiversity, and low digital confidence.
At the start of each session, we aimed to understand each participant’s unique access needs, the specific challenges they encounter online, and their information needs when visiting a museum. Participants then explored the Natural History Museum’s website, concentrating on two of the four key journeys identified. As they completed tasks related to these journeys, we gathered feedback on content, ease of navigation, and overall accessibility of the site.
Through a real-time “think aloud” protocol, testers described their experiences as they navigated the site. This approach allowed us to explore deeper into their challenges at key moments. Stakeholders from the museum also observed the sessions, giving them first-hand insight into the participants’ experiences.
Following the testing, Web Usability conducted a workshop to present the research findings. We facilitated a discussion on the implications of these results and provided recommendations for improving the website’s accessibility and user experience.
Outcomes
A unified vision for the museum’s digital teams, focusing on both immediate actions and long-term strategic goals for the website. This vision was grounded in comprehensive user feedback, ensuring that all initiatives were informed by user experience. The findings provided a strong foundation for presenting evidence-based recommendations to key stakeholders, ensuring alignment with user needs and encouraging continued website improvements.
“A brilliant experience start to finish! The Web Usability team understood our needs, expertly recruited and facilitated for us and the outcomes report has already become a source of brilliant insight and thought-provoking actions for us. We particularly appreciated their collaboration, adaptability, pace and commitment”
Digital Product Manager, Natural History Museum
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