E-commerce into the future: the importance of accessibility
Lack of accessibility in software design affects a business’ bottom line.
Designers want to showcase their products in ways that keep people interested and maintain their attention, which can be difficult in the increasingly impatient world we live in today. The goal is to make customers feel good when they are shopping and in turn, the customers will be more likely to spend their money.
Have you ever had a frustrating experience shopping online? I’m sure you have. It is hard to appreciate the convenience of online shopping when that experience is not only annoying but additionally thwarts any chance of making a purchase. Why bother?
Ask yourself: what happens when a customer has a disability that impairs their ability to navigate your fancy online boutique?
E-commerce web sites often overlook key accessibility issues with the products they present for public consumption. In a video recently posted by blind YouTuber Molly Burke, she talked about the struggles she experienced shopping online for custom sneakers. Molly has mentioned her frustrations with retail web sites and their inaccessibility in the past, but this particular experience was an eye-opening case study of why accessibility is vital to e-commerce.
Molly uses a screen reader, possibly JAWS, with her Samsung Galaxy S10 to customize a pair of Vans. The screen reader essentially reads everything on the web app including labels, drop-downs, links, and navigation. When she tries to choose a color, the screen reader doesn’t recognize the colors that are presented on the page. There is only a visual indicator of color when there should be multiple indicators. This could have been avoided if the web site had labels on the colors so the screen reader could recognize them.
This is one of many examples of the confusion that can arise when the User Experience (UX) does not take accessibility into account. 15% of the world’s population experience some form of disability, and when brands target audiences they should keep that fact in mind. One way to avoid alienating disabled customers and learn more about their habits is with user research. User research is a way to highlight the diversity of disabled users and the problems people come across using technology in their every day lives. Accessibility is not a one-size-fits-all integration. It begins with research, multiple ideations, coding best practices, and an open mind.
I don’t believe that businesses intend to alienate people with disabilities. I believe that it is a lack of awareness, and soon the wave of accessibility-friendly e-commerce sites will come…when they realize how much it will affect their bottom-line. As Designers, it is our job to do as much as we can to move tech toward a more inclusive future.
For more information about Interaction Design and Accessibility, visit the Interaction Design Organization and W3.org.
