Spectrum Auctions Website Improvement (SAWI) Project

End-to-end UX/UI case study focused on research, accessibility, prototyping, and usability validation.

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Project Overview

  • Client/Context: Spectrum and Telecommunications Sector (Government of Canada).
  • Challenge: The existing spectrum auction journey was difficult to navigate for public applicants and internal teams, with dense information and inconsistent task flow.
  • Goal: Redesign the experience to improve clarity, reduce user friction, and meet WCAG 2.2 AA accessibility requirements.

The project was delivered through a structured UX process that combined stakeholder collaboration, evidence-based design decisions, and iterative testing. The final direction improved wayfinding, content comprehension, and task completion confidence across the auction workflow.

How might we design a spectrum auction experience that helps users find critical information faster, complete tasks with fewer errors, and feel confident at every step of the process?


Case Study Snapshot

  • Role

    Student Designer

  • Timeline

    Jan - Sept 2025

  • Team

    6 people

  • Outputs

    50+ Figma screens, 4 HTML prototypes, usability findings report

Interactive prototype

Explore the HTML prototype used for usability testing and stakeholder reviews.

View interactive prototype

Process

1. Discovery and Research

Problem Framing January 2025

We started by interviewing internal stakeholders and reviewing 30+ legacy documents to map current user journeys and identify friction points in the spectrum auction experience. This phase clarified key pain points for both public users and internal teams, and defined the project goals, constraints, and success metrics.

2. Information Architecture and Content Design

Structure and Clarity February 2025 - March 2025

Based on research insights, I reorganized navigation and page flow to make high-priority tasks easier to find and complete. I simplified labels, reduced content density, and introduced a clearer step-by-step structure so users could understand eligibility, timelines, and submission requirements with less effort.

3. Prototyping and Iteration

Design Validation April 2025 - July 2025

I designed 50+ Figma screens and built 4 HTML prototype versions to test layout, interaction patterns, and content hierarchy. Each iteration was refined using stakeholder feedback and observed user behavior, allowing the team to quickly validate decisions before implementation.

4. Usability Testing and Accessibility Compliance

Inclusive Experience August 2025 - September 2025

I co-led usability testing with 20 participants and translated findings into targeted improvements for navigation, readability, and task completion. Accessibility checks were built into every round, including keyboard flow, screen reader behavior, and contrast verification, to ensure final outputs aligned with WCAG 2.2 AA standards.

5. Outcomes and Impact

Business and user value Pilot validation phase

Proposed direction from testing showed promising early indicators: users completed primary navigation tasks faster, reported lower confusion around eligibility steps, and gave stronger confidence ratings for understanding next actions. Internal stakeholders also reported that the revised structure better supported policy communication and reduced repetitive clarification requests.

Problem Discovery

Key Pain Points Identified

Synthesis from interviews and journey mapping Discovery phase

The discovery phase surfaced five consistent pain points:

  • Important information was buried in long content blocks and hard to scan quickly.
  • Users needed too many steps to move between auction stages and supporting documents.
  • Terminology was inconsistent across pages, creating uncertainty and avoidable mistakes.
  • Internal teams spent significant time answering recurring process questions.
  • Accessibility gaps made navigation harder for keyboard and screen-reader users.

Methods and Tools

Research and Synthesis

Understanding user and business needs

Stakeholder interviews, legacy document review, and user journey mapping were used to identify friction points, align priorities, and define measurable UX goals before design work started.

  • Stakeholder Interviews
  • Journey Mapping
  • Miro Workshops

Design and Validation

Testing ideas before handoff

I used Figma for wireframes and high-fidelity screens, built HTML/CSS prototypes for realistic interaction checks, and ran usability/accessibility validation (including NVDA) to ensure decisions were evidence-based.

  • Figma Prototyping
  • HTML/CSS Test Builds
  • Userlytics Sessions
  • NVDA Accessibility Checks
Core Toolkit

Figma, GitHub, Userlytics, Miro, HTML/CSS prototypes, NVDA, WCAG 2.2 AA checklists, and collaborative feedback sessions with stakeholders.

Reflection

What I learned and what I would improve

This project strengthened my ability to design in policy-heavy environments where clarity and trust are as important as visual design quality. If I were continuing this work, I would expand mobile-first testing earlier, run another accessibility audit with assistive technology users, and add a metrics dashboard to monitor task completion and drop-off trends after launch.