Xcel Energy Raises the Bar for Accessibility Research with Marvin

Marvin helped Xcel Energy streamline improvements for users of assistive technology

Customer Outcomes

• Boosted the number of user insights gathered, improving decision-making
• Accelerated reporting of bugs by embedding video clips in Jira
• More efficient research analysis through AI and tagging
• Streamlined sharing of research, replacing over 175 outdated PowerPoint presentations

Xcel Energy delivers electricity and natural gas across eight U.S. states. Millions of customers use its app and website to manage their utility accounts. It aims to create seamless, inclusive experiences for all users, including those who rely on assistive technologies. Xcel Energy uses Marvin to capture user feedback and share insights quickly with designers and developers.

A Proactive Approach to Accessibility

Rachel Suydam, UX Design Researcher at Xcel Energy, leads the company’s accessibility research projects. She works closely with designers and a compliance analyst to ensure the company’s platforms are accessible.

Rachel’s team uses a combination of scanning tools and direct user feedback to ensure accessibility goes beyond compliance with Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG).

“There might be something that meets a WCAG criterion, but it's still not perfect or user-friendly for someone who utilizes assistive technology or has a disability. So we try to go above and beyond that. That’s our main goal.”

The tools scan digital experiences for accessibility issues. They triangulate this with testing from quality analysts, an accessibility compliance analyst, and users. They interview people who identify as having a disability and are native users of assistive technologies.

“You have to use all of these different points to really get something as accessible as possible. It's not just enough to use a scanning tool. It's not just enough for somebody to teach themselves how to use VoiceOver or TalkBack or JAWS and to... And to go through it. It's really valuable to recruit users who utilize this assistive technology every day to go through the experience and give us that feedback on what works and what doesn't.”

Why Xcel Energy Chose Marvin

Rachel’s team needed a solution that allowed them to share research quickly and improve the searchability of their insights. They were tired of using PowerPoint decks to present findings as they get outdated easily. They wanted a tool that centralized everything in one place.

Rachel evaluated nearly every product listed in the 2022 User Interviews UX Research Tools map.

"We wanted something that was going to allow us to share research more quickly... And we wanted everything to be in the same place so it was easily searchable…Marvin just fit our team's needs really well. It just... it just was the right solution. And then it kind of ended up being even more than what we were hoping for."

The team also discovered that Marvin’s AI capabilities were a great bonus. It sped up analysis and helped surface insights across projects.

“There's something so comforting knowing that I can predict what my analysis process is going to be like. It feels like I don't have to set aside as much time to do analysis and then... and then account for unforeseen issues in analysis.

In addition, Marvin offered excellent customer support. As a small team without a dedicated research librarian, Rachel viewed the extra support as critical.

“There were some tools that weren't offering customer success as much. And we knew that was going to be a problem because our team is very small. We don't have a dedicated research librarian. So, we knew we were going to need a good amount of support.”

Improving Stakeholder Buy-in with Video Clips

With Marvin, Rachel’s team has streamlined accessibility research. They now tag usability issues during moderated sessions, categorize them by severity, and map them directly to WCAG criteria. Once they identify issues, the team imports them into Jira. Developers can watch video clips embedded directly in Jira. This helps them understand the issue and make fixes without needing extensive back-and-forth communication.

This method reduces confusion and speeds up problem resolution. Issues are now tracked effectively, and the process is far more efficient.

Video clips of real users struggling with accessibility issues help stakeholders better understand the urgency of changes.

“Seeing users struggle with an issue drives home the need for change. Stakeholders immediately understand the problem.”

This approach has fostered better collaboration, faster issue resolution, and a stronger push for making platforms more accessible. Developers are able to take immediate action when they can see the problem firsthand.

Scaling Research and Hearing More Voices

Marvin has enabled Xcel Energy to collect feedback from a larger pool of users. They provide clear metrics in their reports to make their research more credible.

“We can now report, ‘We’ve heard from X number of users.’ This adds weight to our findings.” The tool has also expedited the research analysis process. With Marvin, the team can spend more time on research strategy.

Showcasing the Value of Research

Before Marvin, the team struggled with a fragmented research process. Now, everything is stored, analyzed, and shared in one place. This unified system has made the entire workflow faster and more reliable.

“It's just so much peace of mind to have everything in one place and, because of the functionality, I can do my job in a fixed amount of time without delays. This has been such a game changer because… as a researcher, you want to be involved, and you want to provide value, and you want to advocate for the user.

With this streamlined process, the team can share valuable insights quickly. They can also showcase the value of research better as stakeholders use more insights to take business decisions.

“In any realm of technology, things move so quickly, and you really want to keep up. Especially as a researcher, you want to be involved, and you want to provide value. You want to advocate for the user. And so, if you can do things a little more quickly, that makes everybody happy, and then they're more likely to ask for research in the future, and that thus results in better experiences for the users. So it's a win-win.”

We’re happy to have a positive impact on accessibility research at Xcel Energy. Book a demo today and tell us how we can help streamline your research.