Fintech

Golden1 Credit Union – Redesigning for Inclusive Accessibility

COMPANY

Golden1 Credit Union

ROLE

UX/UI Designer

EXPERTISE

Web Accessibility & UX Redesign

YEAR

2024

Project Description

Golden1 Credit Union is a member-focused financial institution dedicated to providing seamless digital banking experiences. Their website serves as a hub for users to manage accounts, access financial resources, and explore banking products. However, analytics indicated a decline in user engagement, and critical accessibility issues were limiting inclusivity.


Timeline

From explorations to final designs in 5 weeks while working with multiple projects at the same time

Why this project mattered

As a designer deeply committed to inclusive user experiences, I was excited to lead Golden1 Credit Union’s accessibility initiative. Serving a diverse member base, Golden1 was determined to make its digital banking services usable by everyone—including members with disabilities. This wasn’t just about compliance; it was about delivering on their mission of financial inclusivity. For me, this was an opportunity to bridge the gap between compliance and compassion in UX design.

Process

We started by understanding where and why users were dropping off:

  • Analyzed site metrics to identify high-friction pages.

  • Conducted usability tests with individuals using assistive technologies such as screen readers and keyboard navigation.

  • Collaborated with Level Access to conduct a full WCAG audit and prioritized critical accessibility violations.


The Problem

Golden1’s website faced several challenges that limited accessibility and usability:

  • Accessibility Barriers: The site was not fully WCAG 2.2 AA compliant, making it difficult for users with disabilities to navigate and complete key tasks.

  • Overloaded Pages: Redundant content, broken links, and poor information hierarchy disrupted the user journey.

  • Declining Engagement: We observed a dip in engagement rates, indicating users were struggling to find information or complete transactions.

  • Cross-Team Misalignment: Coordinating across multiple departments and time zones slowed down implementation efforts.

Research & Discovery

We started by understanding where and why users were dropping off:

  • Analyzed site metrics to identify high-friction pages.

  • Conducted usability tests with individuals using assistive technologies such as screen readers and keyboard navigation.

  • Collaborated with Level Access to conduct a full WCAG audit and prioritized critical accessibility violations.

Defining the Strategy

Our research revealed that redundant navigation links and cluttered content confused users—especially those relying on screen readers. Based on these insights, we prioritized:

  • Streamlining Navigation & IA: Reduced redundant links by 30% and restructured content for better flow.

  • Design Consistency: Developed reusable design components to ensure a cohesive experience.

  • Enhanced Accessibility: Improved contrast, readability, and keyboard navigation, and fixed ARIA labels and form structures.


Key Design Solutions

Redesigned the Log In Modal: We simplified the experience by allowing users to select different account types in one click, reducing cognitive load and improving efficiency

Marketing & Campaign Pages: Provided structured templates for the marketing team, ensuring consistency and accessibility in all new pages.‍

  • Golden1 Financial Education Contest Page: Created a responsive landing page to make contest entry easy and intuitive for both desktop and mobile users.
    Key features included:

Accessibility Implementation & Testing

Working closely with Level Access and our engineering team, we implemented critical fixes:

  • Corrected ARIA labels, alt text, and form structures.

  • Enhanced color contrast to meet WCAG 2.2 AA standards.

  • Reduced cognitive load by de-cluttering key interaction points.

  • Conducted rigorous QA and UX-led UAT testing across mobile, tablet, and major browsers.



Outcomes & Impact

Our efforts made a tangible difference, both in numbers and human experience:

  • WCAG Compliance Increased: From 78% to 90%

  • Accessibility Barriers Resolved: Fixed 16 out of 21 high-severity issues

  • Improved User Engagement: Bounce rates decreased by 25%; task completion time improved by 30%

  • Better Navigation: 40% of users reported it was easier to find information

  • Content Streamlined: Eliminated over 100 redundant links and pages

  • Automated Monitoring: Level Access health score improved to 81/100, with remediation progress at 13% complete

Most importantly, in follow-up testing, users with assistive needs shared they were able to complete tasks independently for the first time—such as logging into their accounts or accessing critical documents without external help.