The Importance Of Accessible Features And Content

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One of the primary objectives of an ecommerce website is to create an engaging user experience that leads to sales or conversions. The user experience should be informative, intuitive, and convenient, or in other words, accessible. The concept of internet accessibility takes this user experience and ensures that it applies to all internet users regardless of physical or intellectual ability.

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If you run an online store using a large platform such as Shopify, accessibility is especially important. While accessibility is important for disabled people who want, or need to shop online, the same accessibility practices that offer an improved shopping experience for disabled people also improve the user experience for all shoppers and can actually improve your website traffic and increase your position in the search rankings. This is because accessibility practices go hand-in-hand with good SEO (search engine optimization) practices.

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Barriers To Accessibility

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For some individuals, what might otherwise be a minor inconvenience on a website, can actually act as a barrier to accessing the intended information. In the world of ecommerce websites, this is both a loss for the user and for the online store. Barriers to web accessibility for a user could include an inability to see certain information due to blindness or impaired vision or an inability to hover a mouse due to limited manual mobility. These are just a couple of examples of how web accessibility is limited for users who have disabilities.

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Accessibility And Disabled Users

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The issue of internet accessibility for disabled users is more widespread than some might think. Roughly 15% of the world population live with some form of disability. For some people with disabilities, the ecommerce websites and online retailers are their most accessible, and in some cases only, means of being able to shop. This makes website accessibility especially important when it comes to ecommerce.

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Web Content Accessibility Guidelines

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The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) has established a set of guidelines and standards to promote and ensure that all digital platforms and web applications are inclusive and can be accessed by any user. These guidelines are known as the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines. Included in the guidelines are the Four Principles of Accessibility (POUR).

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The Four Principles Of Accessibility: Key Elements Of Accessible Design

• Perceivable: Information and user interface components must be presentable to all users in any manner that can be perceived, including sight, hearing, or touch.
  
• Operable: User interface components and navigation must be usable and accessible to all users, some of whom rely on keyboards, and also includes assistive technologies such as voice control.
  
• Understandable: The information and operation of the user interface must be perceivable and understandable for all users, with clear and simple language preferred.
  
• Robust: Content must be robust, meaning it works well across browsers and screens , mobile devices, accommodates assistive technologies, and is adaptive to new and emerging technologies.

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Is Your Online Store Accessible?

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There are many aspects of internet accessibility that directly relate to user experience that everyone can participate in, making a more positive online shopping experience for all users. Elements of online accessibility include ease of keyboard navigability for people who have limited use of hands or arms, the use of colors and color contrast, making sure product descriptions are clear to visually impaired people, or that there are video captions for deaf people and people hard of hearing. These elements, and more, which comprise digital accessibility, are constantly changing and improving to meet the needs of all internet users and ecommerce customers, some of whom have accessibility issues.

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Accessibility And The Americans With Disabilities Act

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Not only is internet accessibility helpful for all internet users, it is also the law. The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) covers access to all public accommodations, including internet usage. There have been lawsuits against large companies and even small online stores for violations of equal access under the ADA because users with certain disabilities were unable to shop, access information available to others, or conduct a transaction. Aside from the fact that defending your business from a lawsuit is expensive and time consuming, the inaccessibility represents a loss to the user and to the ecommerce website. Even without the legal action, a customer was just lost. Therefore, making sure you are in compliance with digital accessibility standards can be an essential part of your website's success and sustainability.