Redesigning Spain’s Cita Previa through the lens of accessibility
Elevating accesibility standards
We all need the right to access the fundamental services. With the upcoming EU Accessibility Act of 2025, Spain’s Cita Previa needed a redesign to meet accessibility standards, ensuring it is inclusive for all.
The old website's struggles
The website was confusing, Spanish-only, and vulnerable to exploits. The outdated interface lacked feedback or ways to prevent user errors, making the process tedious. Comparing it with other countries and private tech solutions, we found that government services offer contextual feedback, while tech solutions minimize clicks. These benchmarks highlighted how far behind the system was, especially given Spain's demographics.
Suffer a
disability
Are older
than 65 years
Speak a language
other than Castilian
Prefer using
mobile devices
Barriers user face
During our research, we conducted nine interviews and four tests with both expats and locals, which revealed significant frustrations. Users shared that they sometimes had to resort to the black market to secure an appointment. They expressed concerns about the website feeling insecure, the difficulty in finding necessary information, unexpected additional steps, and confusion in locating an office.
How they use it?
Based on conversations with our users, we uncovered consistent themes of distrust and frustration. This service is meant for everyone, regardless of background, so we examined the redesign through different mental models.
Some users are skeptical and need assistance due to a lack of trust. Others feel overwhelmed by too much happening at once. More proficient users expect seamless features but find the process tedious.
Our user journey insights revealed that the most frustration occurred when trying to find an office and a slot to book. The website doesn’t provide real-time information and displays options sequentially, making it hard to find available or nearby offices.
"This website doesn't feel secure. Is this even legit?"
"Too many steps! Thought I was done after confirming."
"How am I supposed to know which office to choose?"
"What's this Equipment Number thing? I have no idea what they're asking for."
Laying the groundwork
Understanding our users' frustrations, we established design principles to guide our redesign. By mapping their pain points, we identified the office search and time slot booking screens as most critical, paving the way for our focused design approach.
to be intuitive and quick.
Concepting an
inclusive design
With our design principles as a guide, we began wireframing, identifying key steps for a smoother booking experience. Through five iterations of feedback and refinement, we incorporated new features, streamlined the process, and experimented with layouts, colors, and labels. This iterative approach, grounded in user testing, led us to a final design that embodies our principles and delivers a simplified, streamlined experience.
Creating a streamlined
and accesible service
The redesigned Cita Previa platform transforms the appointment booking experience. It offers a seamless, secure, and multilingual interface that saves time and effort by reducing the number of screens and speeding up the booking process. As a government app, it meets AAA standards, and its new UX features assist users in reaching their goals, regardless of their context.
Digital ID
Quick schedule
Manage anytime
Reflections on the journey
Reflecting on this project, I gained a deep understanding of digital accessibility, realizing it goes beyond WCAG color tests to delivering a UX that works in various scenarios. Reviewing my case study, I see how much I iterated to reach the final concept. Initially, I planned a desktop-focused design but shifted to a mobile-first approach to better align with user needs. If I were to redo this project, I would explore more creative aspects to align with Spain's digital vision and incorporate motion prototyping to further build user trust.