Enhancing Accessibility for Southwest Gas (SWGas)

Enhancing Accessibility for Southwest Gas (SWGas).

Southwest Gas (SWGas) serves over 2 million customers across Arizona, Nevada, and California. As part of their digital modernization efforts, they partnered with our team to assess and improve accessibility across their core customer platforms: SWGas.com and the MyAccount portal. The goal was to ensure compliance with WCAG 2.1 AA standards, reduce legal risk, and provide an inclusive experience for all users, especially those using assistive technologies.

My Role

• Led the accessibility strategy across web and mobile platforms

• Conducted heuristic accessibility reviews and screen reader testing

• Collaborated with developers to implement WCAG-compliant patterns

• Delivered annotated recommendations, remediation plans, and testing scripts

• Advocated for accessible design workflows across product, content, and dev teams

The Problem

• The MyAccount platform (SEW) was built on a third-party system with limited flexibility

• Critical issues such as poor color contrast, unlabeled form fields, and broken tab order persisted

• Users relying on VoiceOver or TalkBack were unable to complete key tasks (e.g., paying bills or updating profile info)

• Emergency call-to-actions (CTAs) were improperly structured, posing safety risks for users in crisis

• Client lacked internal accessibility QA processes or training

Approach

1. Accessibility Audit

• Manual testing with screen readers (VoiceOver, TalkBack)

• Smart Invert and high-contrast mode compatibility checks

• WCAG 2.1 AA alignment, including keyboard-only navigation

• Custom component inspection (e.g., modals, dropdowns, radio groups)

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    2. Heuristic Evaluation

• Applied Jakob Nielsen’s principles through the lens of accessible interaction Documented issues across flows: Login, Bill Pay, Emergency Contact, Profile Management

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    3. User Testing

• Designed usability sessions with screen reader users

• Verified task completion and identified pain points in real scenarios

• Recorded and annotated findings for business and dev audiences

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   4. Collaboration & Advocacy

• Partnered with internal stakeholders and dev leads to prioritize fixes

• Created accessibility requirements for future releases

• Educated the client on platform limitations vs. actionable improvements

• Proposed a scalable QA process and trained the in-house content team

Key Findings

• Login Screen: Missing labels and error handling; users were unaware of failed logins

• Payment Flow: Inconsistent focus management and inaccessible form fields

• Emergency CTA: Poor visibility and incorrect use of form submission for urgent reporting

• Mobile App: Incomplete semantic labeling; no support for dynamic type

Impact

• Reduced the number of critical accessibility blockers by over 70%

• Delivered a prioritized remediation backlog for both SWGas and SEW

• Implemented accessible modal design patterns and updated emergency CTA interactions

• Helped align the client roadmap with WCAG and ADA compliance

• Built trust with internal teams and improved awareness of accessibility best practices

Tools & Technologies

• JAWS, VoiceOver, TalkBack

• Axe DevTools, WAVE, Chrome Accessibility Panel

• Figma (for annotations and design system feedback)

• Jira (for backlog grooming and ticket documentation)

Reflection
This project underscored the challenges of retrofitting accessibility into third-party platforms, especially those with rigid frameworks. Still, by combining tactical fixes with long-term advocacy, we made significant strides in delivering a safer, more inclusive experience for all customers. The engagement also demonstrated how accessibility can be a driver of both compliance and customer trust when approached strategically.