Before/After: Accessibility Overhaul for CareConnect's Mobile App

Design · 5 min read

CareConnect, a health coordination app for caregivers, had usability issues for older users: low-contrast labels, tiny touch targets, and unclear voiceover hints. Analytics showed a 32% lower completion rate on medication scheduling tasks for users over 60. The team executed an 8-week accessibility sprint to remediate high-impact issues and introduce an accessibility-first component library.

The work included increasing color contrast across 45 screens, implementing 44px minimum touch targets, adding semantic accessibility labels, and defaulting to reduced-motion settings. Designers used automated scans and manual VoiceOver/ TalkBack tests, and ran moderated sessions with 18 participants aged 55–75 to validate changes. They also rebuilt the appointment booking flow with clearer affordances and step-by-step confirmation states.

After release, task success for medication scheduling rose from 68% to 93% for the target cohort, and app support queries related to navigation fell by 41%. The team absorbed a one-time cost to update the design system and addressed some technical debt in platform accessibility APIs, but the long-term gains in retention and reduced agent load justified the work. CareConnect now treats accessibility checks as part of every sprint.