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!
Key Insights
-
•
Consistency in online shopping interfaces builds muscle memory and brand loyalty among users with disabilities.
-
•
Offering multiple payment providers improves accessibility by accommodating users who cannot read credit cards or face physical challenges.
-
•
Avoiding strict time limits in checkout and login flows reduces stress and prevents users from abandoning purchases.
-
•
Confidence in online shopping comes from clearly labeled and predictable controls to reduce user uncertainty.
-
•
Customizability through multiple interaction modes (mobile, desktop, chat, phone) caters to diverse accessibility needs.
-
•
Involving actual users with disabilities in testing is essential because automated accessibility tools miss real-world experience nuances.
-
•
Accessible design benefits everyone, not just users with disabilities, by improving convenience and usability.
-
•
The 'time tax' means people with disabilities often spend twice as long on tasks, making convenience critical.
-
•
Integrating support via chat or email is crucial for users who are deaf, hard of hearing, or have speech difficulties.
-
•
Accessible two-factor authentication should offer multiple verification options and longer time windows for code entry.
Notable Quotes
"Consistency really drives the success of many, many major brands among people with accessibility."
"Sometimes accessibility isn’t perfect, but that consistency means muscle memory kicks in and you can shop in your sleep."
"Multiple payment providers is such a huge contributor to accessibility that people don’t usually think about."
"Avoiding strictly timed interactions reduces stress, especially for people with cognitive disabilities."
"Confidence is so important because nobody wants to experiment with real money when online shopping."
"Accessibility isn’t just the developer’s job, everyone on your team needs to be involved."
"Automated solutions can’t tell you if you’re actually delivering a good experience for people with disabilities."
"Offering more ways to interact, whether shopping, paying, or support, makes things accessible for everyone."
"The more you can negotiate timed interactions to be flexible, the better the experience for all users."
"The money controlled by people with disabilities amounts to billions, representing a significant market opportunity."
Or choose a question:
More Videos
"The Silicon Valley dream is not the reality we are living in Latin America in terms of technology, culture, resources, mindset, and people."
Verónica Urzúa Jorge MontielThe B-side of the Research Impact
March 12, 2021
"I had no idea how to work with the military, and I didn't even know what I didn't know."
Michal Anne RogondinoSaving Outer Space: The First UX Design System for Our Nation’s Satellites
January 8, 2024
"There is power in the togetherness of learning from others."
Jemma AhmedTheme 2 Intro
March 10, 2022
"Power and ethics in our roles as designers is changing and it needs to change for the better."
Kara KaneTheme One Intro
November 16, 2022
"Our career competencies are not a checklist or promotion; it's not an expectation that directs get excelling scores across their level to advance."
Laine Riley ProkayHow DesignOps can Drive Inclusive Career Ladders for All
September 30, 2021
"Most of what makes up meaningful human communication is harder for us to access screen to screen."
Laura Gatewood Laine ProkayBeyond Buzzwords: Adding Heart to Effective Slack Communication
September 23, 2024
"At IBM, I felt like I was following a script; at Compass, I get to promote my ideas and see how they work."
Caitlyn Hampton Monica Lee Jina YoonCompass 101: Growing Your Career In A Startup World
June 11, 2021
"All feelings are valid when introducing new behaviors; you’re not trying to change the underlying values."
Hana NagelTurning Research Ripples into Waves
November 8, 2018
"People and process design is as important as technology design in enterprise UX."
Alexandra SchmidtEnterprise UX Playbook (Videoconference)
December 1, 2022