Special Olympics of Texas

Landing Page & Registration Experience

Impact Summary

TL;DR (Recruiter Scan)

Led an accessibility-first redesign of the Special Olympics of Texas landing and registration experience
Identified critical usability and WCAG compliance issues blocking participation
Simplified navigation and registration flows for athletes, families, and volunteers
Improved accessibility scores and increased successful registrations

Overview

Role: Product Designer
Timeline: 2023
Focus: Accessibility, public-sector UX, conversion optimization

Special Olympics of Texas supports athletes and families with diverse physical and cognitive abilities. I led the redesign of their landing page and volunteer registration experience to ensure that anyone motivated to get involved could do so without friction or accessibility barriers.

The project required balancing clarity, inclusivity, and trust while working within the constraints of a public-facing nonprofit platform.

Problem

Despite strong mission alignment, the existing experience created unnecessary barriers for users trying to register or learn more about opportunities.

Key challenges included:

Low color contrast and inconsistent typography that reduced readability
Navigation patterns that made it difficult to locate volunteering opportunities
Accessibility violations that prevented users relying on assistive technologies from completing registration

These issues caused users—especially first-time visitors—to abandon the experience before completing key actions.

Research & Insights (Approach)

I began by grounding the redesign in real user behavior and accessibility standards.

To understand where users struggled, I:

Conducted a WCAG accessibility audit to identify violations impacting readability, focus states, and form usability
Reviewed analytics and testing data to identify drop-off points in the registration flow
Created personas representing athletes, caregivers, and volunteers with varying accessibility needs
Observed users attempting core tasks, such as registering or finding upcoming events

A key insight emerged:
Users were motivated to help but lost confidence when the interface felt confusing or overwhelming.

Solution

I redesigned the experience with a focus on clarity, hierarchy, and accessibility.

Key improvements included:

Rebuilding the visual hierarchy to clearly surface primary actions like registration and event discovery
Improving typography, spacing, and color contrast to meet accessibility standards
Simplifying navigation so users could understand next steps at a glance
Redesigning form components with clear labels, focus states, and assistive technology support

Every design decision prioritized reducing cognitive load while maintaining a warm, trustworthy tone appropriate for a nonprofit audience.

Validation & Results (Impact)

Design changes were validated through usability testing and accessibility checks.

The redesign resulted in:

Reduced navigation and form completion errors
Improved accessibility compliance scores
Higher successful registration rates
A clearer, more inclusive experience for athletes, families, and volunteers

User testing showed that participants were able to complete key tasks with greater confidence and fewer errors.

Reflection

This project reinforced that accessibility is not an edge case—it is fundamental to usability. By removing friction and prioritizing clarity, the redesigned experience enabled more people to participate in a mission-driven organization that directly impacts their community.