Inclusive design
A concept linked to accessibility is inclusive design. Inclusive design is about creating products and services that understand and enable people with different backgrounds and abilities. For example, gender, age, language, economy and geography. The goal is to satisfy as many user needs as possible, not just as many users as possible.
In some cases, you cannot avoid special solutions, but you should design a website to work for as many people as possible. Designing for everyone where you look for a wide variety instead of just the average. There are many benefits to an accessible web that reaches more and more inclusive features are nothing that affects functionality in a negative way.
On a web page, it can be about:
- Don't just offer traditional options when filtering or selections to be specified. Consider whether you need to make a selection so you can include more consumers.
- Put feedback on an event close so that it is not missed completely or is visually weak. For example, a confirmation that an item has been added to the shopping cart.
- Have a large enough font size with a readable font and high contrast between text and background.
- Think about what divisions are made on the site. For example, can some women's and men's clothing be in a unisex section?
But first and foremost, it's about acknowledging that there can be exclusion, enlisting the help of others to see how customers experience it, and identifying consumer needs. All work with inclusive design is about collaboration and continuously wanting to learn and improve the experience.
Google ranking
For Google, user experience is an important ranking factor. A clear and simple language will also make it easier for users to find the right place, which will lead to increased traffic and then also a higher ranking. One thing that is considered is whether the content is mobile friendly so that users on mobile devices can view the page more easily. It also looks at whether the content loads quickly. It is usually said that websites that work to be more accessible to everyone often rank better because they have a strong focus on the user experience.
Structure flows and processes
It's not just the pages on a website that should be accessible, it's good to spend time structuring flows and processes so that they become as accessible and easy to use as possible. For e-commerce, it is, for example, about:
- The buying process – Is it easy to understand the parts of the buying process? Is there anything that can be clarified or simplified? Do you see all the fees quickly or is it necessary to get to the absolute last step in the checkout to see the total? Are the terms clearly presented?
- The return process – Is the return process explained well before the purchase? Is it easy to understand how to return after the item has been delivered? Can you follow where in the process a returned product is? Is the difference between return and complaint and the different fees explained?
- Customer service and support process – It is important to make customer service and support available to users. Which channels are used, are there several that suit different needs? Is it clear when contacting different numbers and channels? How does feedback and follow-up take place?
It is important to involve the entire organization when working on making your e-commerce solution more accessible. It is a team effort where everyone has to work together towards the same goal. Talk before you build to build right from the start. In the next part, we will look at well-thought-out frontend and texts that guide.
