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
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Consistency in online shopping interfaces builds muscle memory and brand loyalty among users with disabilities.
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Offering multiple payment providers improves accessibility by accommodating users who cannot read credit cards or face physical challenges.
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Avoiding strict time limits in checkout and login flows reduces stress and prevents users from abandoning purchases.
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Confidence in online shopping comes from clearly labeled and predictable controls to reduce user uncertainty.
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Customizability through multiple interaction modes (mobile, desktop, chat, phone) caters to diverse accessibility needs.
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Involving actual users with disabilities in testing is essential because automated accessibility tools miss real-world experience nuances.
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Accessible design benefits everyone, not just users with disabilities, by improving convenience and usability.
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The 'time tax' means people with disabilities often spend twice as long on tasks, making convenience critical.
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Integrating support via chat or email is crucial for users who are deaf, hard of hearing, or have speech difficulties.
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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."
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