User Experience (UX)Testing Workshops
Products and services should be accessible for everyone – yet accessibility is still a challenge for many.
Around 5.5 million people in Australia (21.4%) have disability (Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2022), and too often, their needs are excluded from mainstream design.
That’s where our user experience workshops come in.
These workshops bring together a diverse cohort of people with disability to test your product, service, or concept and assess how accessible and usable it really is.
Whether it’s checking if your prototype has the right digital accessibility features or mapping the end-to-end customer journey, these sessions bring real insight from real users.
Key benefits
- Build more inclusive user personas and better understand how people with disability engage with your product or service
- Reduce future costs by designing accessibility into your product from the start – far more efficient than retrofitting later
- Gain practical, real-world recommendations that help you identify and address usability issues before launch
- Develop a blueprint of guidelines you can leverage for the development of future products or services
Our approach
Our user experience workshops are led by people with disability who bring lived experience and professional insight to the process.
Our consultants and network of associates represent a wide range of disabilities, ensuring you benefit from diverse, authentic perspectives.
During your user experience workshop, participants may:
• Test your prototype for key accessibility features
• Share their lived experience navigating your service as a user with disability
• Provide targeted feedback to improve user journeys and remove barriers
Workshops are tailored to your needs and can run as a one-off session, over multiple days, or across several stages of development.
Case Study: Coles Group
We partnered with Coles Group to help make Coles Own Brand products and services more accessible for everyone.
In 2023, 45 products were redesigned using insights gathered through a user experience workshop.
The partnership also led to a national expansion of Quiet Hour in Coles stores – offering a calmer, more inclusive shopping experience for customers who find high sensory environments challenging.
Frequently asked questions
What’s the difference between a user experience workshop and a focus group?
Traditional focus groups gather general opinions. A user experience workshop focuses specifically on how people with disability interact with your product or service – uncovering barriers, testing functionality, and sharing lived experience. It’s practical, applied, and grounded in accessibility.
Who should attend a user experience workshop from our organisation?
We recommend involving product designers, developers, service managers, accessibility leads, and anyone involved in delivery. The more your internal team understands real user experience, the better your outcomes.
Do you only test digital products?
Not at all. While many workshops include digital accessibility testing, we also support teams developing physical products, in-store experiences, or services. If people use it, we can test it – whether it’s an app, form, shopping experience, or customer journey.
How do you choose workshop participants?
We work with a trusted network of GSA Associates representing a wide range of disabilities, access needs, and lived experiences. Participants are selected based on your project’s needs, so you get the most relevant and diverse input possible.
What kind of outcomes will we receive after the workshop?
You’ll receive a summary of key accessibility and usability insights, common pain points, and practical improvement suggestions. If desired, we can also provide a written report or collaborate on a roadmap for further testing and development.
Can we run a series of user experience workshops across a project lifecycle?
Yes – we encourage it. We can support you with workshops during prototyping, user testing, and post-launch review. This creates an inclusive feedback loop and ensures accessibility is embedded, not added as an afterthought.