Online Shopping: Designing an Accessible Experience
Summary
Online shopping was first premiered in the 1980s, as a way for people who couldn’t shop in-person to easily make purchases. But how far we’ve come! In this talk, Fable’s Accessibility Evangelist Sam Proulx will walk you through some of the key factors to create an online shopping experience that is accessible to everyone. From his perspective as a full time screen reader user, and drawing on Fable’s thousands of hours working with people with disabilities, Sam will highlight how consistency, convenience, confidence, and customizability enable a smooth experience for all users, disabled or not. Let’s bring online shopping back to its accessibility roots! Read the transcript
Key Insights
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Consistency in user interface design significantly lowers cognitive load for people using assistive technology, enabling repeated tasks like checkout to be completed effortlessly.
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Convenience features such as multiple payment options (Apple Pay, Google Pay, PayPal) and browser autofill are powerful accessibility enhancers beyond their mainstream popularity.
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The disability time tax means people with disabilities often spend more time on online tasks, making efficiency and convenience critical accessibility considerations.
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Confidence in the checkout process is a key barrier; unclear buttons or questionable processes cause faster abandonment among people with disabilities.
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Customizability through multiple modes of interaction (mobile, desktop, voice, chat support) helps accommodate diverse accessibility and situational needs.
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Accessibility improvements designed for people with disabilities often end up benefiting all users, including seniors, new parents, and those with cognitive challenges.
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Most websites have accessibility flaws; consistency across a platform like Amazon helps users with disabilities avoid constant relearning despite some accessibility issues.
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Timed interactions during checkout can be a stressor and barrier for users with disabilities, but thoughtful dialog prompts can mitigate this while maintaining security.
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Automated accessibility testing is insufficient to evaluate key experiential factors; involving users with disabilities in research and prototyping is essential.
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Building accessible experiences fosters brand loyalty in the disability community and extends to their families and social networks, making it strategically important.
Notable Quotes
"My screener automatically reads out all incoming messages into my headphones, so I hear my voice, the Zoom messages, the speaker notes, and the slides all at once."
"If it’s not sold at Amazon or Costco, it’s probably not in my house — not because I love those companies but because of their consistency."
"Consistency means the same interactions always do the same things; buttons are in the same place, and flows don’t change suddenly."
"Convenience includes accepting multiple payment providers like Apple Pay or PayPal, which can mean the difference between completing and abandoning a purchase."
"The disability time tax means that everything takes longer, so removing friction and reducing cognitive load is critical for accessibility."
"Confidence is crucial — nobody wants to lose money or receive a product they can’t use, so unclear or unlabeled controls cause people with disabilities to give up faster."
"Customizability is about meeting people where they are, whether that’s on mobile, desktop, voice interaction, or different communication channels."
"When you build better experiences for people with disabilities, you build better experiences that work for everyone."
"These four keys aren’t about color contrasts or automated code tests; they’re about the actual lived experience of users with disabilities."
"A lot of accessibility work isn’t just for a small group — designing for the edges gets you the middle for free, as Yuda Trevor says."
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