2026
Dia Art Foundation Unmoderated Remote User Testing
Surfacing key visitor information on through improved content hierarchy.
Timeline
1 Month
platform
Report
Role
UX Researcher
team
Chloe Dahan, Mandy Chiang, Yung-Wei Chen
UX Research
Unmoderated Remote User Testing
Overview
A usability study of the Dia Art Foundation website revealed how deeply nested content, inconsistent terminology, and weak navigational cues create friction for visitors trying to plan a trip. We observed nine participants completing core visit-planning tasks and developed four recommendations to improve information findability, content hierarchy, and navigation clarity.
Click to view the full report and analysis.
How did we evaluate
Testing the Visitor Planning Experience on Dia's Website
We conducted an unmoderated remote usability test with nine participants to evaluate how well the website supports visit planning.
Four recommendations were developed to improve content hierarchy, navigation clarity, and information discoverability. All scoped as quick wins that don't require a full site redesign.
Scenario
The Starting Point: Accessibility, Events, and Artwork on View
We designed a scenario around a realistic visitor goal: planning a first visit to a Dia location, specifically Dia Beacon, with family and a friend who uses a wheelchair. This scenario reflected a prospective visitor who needed to confirm logistics like accessibility, event schedules, and what's on view before committing to the trip. Three tasks mapped to those questions:
Task 1
Accessibility
Is Dia Beacon wheelchair accessible?
Task 2
Events
When is the next free Saturday Studio program?
Task 3
Artwork
Is Richard Serra's Torqued Ellipse I (1996) on display?
Overall Findings
Nine Prospective Visitors, One Pattern
By the numbers
9
participants participated
6 / 9
completed the accessibility task, but all 9 struggled
3.8 / 5
average difficulty rating for the accessibility task
1
participant concluded the museum was not wheelchair accessible (it is)
1
participant failed the events task entirely
Severity Heatmap
This heatmap shows how each of the nine participants experienced six issue categories during testing. Each cell is color-coded by self-reported severity. Patterns across rows reveal which issues caused the most widespread friction.
The core Issue we found
The Information is There but the Structure Hides It
Every answer participants needed existed somewhere on the site. The problem was a content structure that assumes visitors already understand how Dia organizes its digital presence. For this report, we focus on three of the patterns that drove most of the friction.
Pattern 1
Visitors missed the "door" to Dia Beacon
Dia's homepage represents the foundation as a whole. Dia Beacon has its own sub-site, but 88% of participants didn't realize the location cards on the homepage were entry points.
They scrolled through foundation-level content looking for Beacon-specific details that weren't there.
Location cards had a hover effect on the image only, not the title or description
No button, link text, or visual cue signaled the cards were clickable gateways
Users defaulted to the top navigation, which routes to foundation-wide pages
Pattern 2
The page has the answer, but you can't search for it
Accessibility information lived inside a collapsed accordion labeled "Accessibility and Service Animals" near the bottom of the Dia Beacon page. Two barriers made it nearly invisible:
Browser Command+F, which many users turned to, can't index text inside collapsed accordion sections
The site's own search returned zero results for "wheelchair"
33% of participants tried Command+F as a last resort, and 55% nearly abandoned the task.
Pattern 3
The calendar speaks a different language than the rest of the site
The calendar's "Type" filter uses internal categories that don't match the terminology visitors encounter elsewhere. "Saturday Studio" falls under "Learning Program" - but on the Families page, it's listed under "Family Programs."
One participant tried "Special Event," then "Studio Event," then resorted to Ctrl+F
Another couldn't connect "studio event" with "learning event" conceptually
The filter forces trial-and-error instead of recognition
Recommendation 1
Give Visitors a Clear Way In
Add a "More >" button to each location card and extend the hover state across the full card - image, title, and description. A standard web convention that immediately communicates clickability.
Recommendation 2
Let Visitors Jump to What They Need
Introduce a persistent sidebar navigation listing all sections on the Dia Beacon page. Instead of scrolling through the full page hoping to spot the right accordion, visitors can jump directly to Accessibility, Family Programs, Directions, or any other section.
Eliminates scroll fatigue on a content-heavy page
Makes the full scope of available information visible at a glance
Reduces reliance on Ctrl+F as a workaround
Recommendation 3
Show Visitors What Each Filter Actually Contains
Add hover-state tooltips to each calendar filter option. Hovering over "Learning Program" would show: "Explore artist-led Family Programs for all ages, including Saturday Studio and Play Sets."
Bridges the gap between internal terminology and visitor expectations
Doesn't clutter the interface for returning visitors who already know the system
Aims to prevent the most common trial-and-error behavior
Recommendation 4
Put Accessibility Info Where Visitors are Already Looking
This was the most significant finding. Every participant struggled. They checked Visit, Location Services, Visitor Guidelines, About, Support, and FAQ - most found the answer only through the footer link or by scrolling to the bottom of the Dia Beacon page.
Two Changes we made
On the Dia Beacon page: Add an "Accessibility at Dia Beacon" summary block positioned directly after Admission. It includes:
A one-line confirmation that the museum is wheelchair accessible
A scannable list of key features (parking, galleries, bathrooms, elevators)
A link to full accessibility details
On the Visit page
Add a short accessibility note under each location's overview, so visitors scanning the page can immediately confirm whether a site meets their needs.
Introducing accessibility cues on the Dia Beacon (location-specific) page & Visit page can help users quickly confirm whether a Dia location meets their needs with less trial-and-error navigation. This layered approach improves visibility of accessibility information and supports scanning. It will build user confidence through repeated consistent information placement, enabling users to quickly identify accommodations and reducing friction in the visit planning process.
Beyond the report
What These Changes Don't Solve
Site Infrastructure Problems that Need Bigger Investment
The four recommendations were scoped as quicker wins. The study also surfaced deeper issues that need longer-term investment.
Search infrastructure needs to index collapsed content, handle typos, and return relevant results - seven of nine participants hit search failures
The overall IA needs to clarify the relationship between the foundation site and location sub-sites - this was the root cause behind most navigation confusion
Terminology needs standardization across navigation, filters, and content pages - this category had the highest average severity (3.6 / 4)
What I’d Do Next
If given more time and access to users + Dia internal teams, I would take the following next steps
Run a follow-up usability test to measure whether the recommendations reduce task difficulty.
Conduct a card sort to validate the proposed content hierarchy against visitor mental models.
Benchmark accessibility information placement against peer institutions.
Work with a Dia team to standardize terminology across navigation, filters, and page content.