NASA
Role
User-Centered Designer
Made with
NASA Langley Research center
Timeline
12 weeks
Project
Project Overview
NASA Langley’s Center Operations Directorate was modernizing the dashboards, web applications, and maps that facilities teams use every day. I audited and advised on these tools so they worked for people using screen readers, keyboards, and high contrast modes, and met Section 508. I also wrote the standard operating procedures that guide the work going forward.
Challenge
Seven Power BI reports, eight legacy applications moving from Oracle APEX to CFML, and more than ten GIS apps were all changing at once, and accessibility had not been built into any of them. My GIS audit found missing alt text, 22 to 23 unlabeled controls per page, keyboard navigation gaps, and map symbols that relied on color alone. I worked within platform limits and alongside co-interns who led the technical migrations.
Results
I audited over 20 systems and either fixed them or gave written recommendations, and wrote two SOPs, one for CFML applications and one for Power BI reports. On WAVE, a redesigned Power BI report went from 1 to 6 out of 10, CFML application pages rose from an average of 5 to 7, and moving a GIS app to Experience Builder took it from 5 to 9. I also found that AI-assisted development handled structure and ARIA labels well but struggled with dense tables and form labels, and the SOPs reflect that.
Systems audited
Average WAVE score across 10 GIS apps