User experience (UX) is as important for an eCommerce store as the display and interiors are for a brick-and-mortar shop. It helps visitors browse a website, search for products, place orders, and remain connected without hassle.

A critical component of UX design is accessibility, which refers to how well people can reach and use your website. This is an especially important element for individuals with disabilities. Making your digital store accessible means everyone, regardless of their capabilities, can navigate, understand, and interact with your site easily.

That convenience significantly contributes to purchasing decisions. An attractive web appearance may draw in traffic, but ensuring they stay and interact with features (and complete checkout) requires a strategic UX design. If you struggle to retain visitors or convince them to place orders, you need to review your UX design and accessibility features, and this article will walk you through how.

UX-specific features

To accommodate everyone, UX has to be as streamlined for as many different types of users as possible. That includes the ability to adapt to different devices and browsers to provide a consistently positive shopper experience regardless of device. We’ve broken down seven other key elements to focus on in your UX design below.

1. Integrate advanced navigation

Making it easier for customers to find a product on your eCommerce store reduces the barriers to them placing an order. One way to achieve this is to upgrade your website’s navigation so visitors understand the catalog structure and can search for products in a simple way.

Navigation should require little thought on the shopper’s part. You don’t need to reinvent the wheel; just follow best practices so visitors can quickly grasp how to maneuver around your site:

• Use descriptive labels
• Navigate based on topic/category
• Avoid small drop-down menus
• Place the shopping cart in the header

With that said, you can introduce some creativity by improving filters and categorizing items with logic. These can be based on type, style, design, usage, best-selling, etc.

A search option is another way to improve navigation for higher conversions: Allow users to find a product or page by typing a word related to it and receiving relevant suggestions. By recommending the closest-matching products or landing pages, users are more likely to locate what they want quickly and continue through to the checkout. eCommerce stores are also increasingly adopting AI to personalize search or menus and highlight things customers are likely to want.

2. Optimize landing pages

The design and layout of a landing page or product page can move shoppers further along the buyer journey or stop them in their tracks. Give attention to critical aspects like:

• Product description: Revisit the product’s description to make it more attractive and persuasive, and trim long sentences so it’s easy and enjoyable to read on mobile. Also, make sure the copy includes your keywords so it ranks higher in search results.
• Calls to action (CTAs): Sometimes, shoppers may be confused and need guidance on how to proceed with their order. With a customized CTA, you can quickly and easily move them to conversion. Choose high-contrast colors to emphasize your message.
• Product photography: Invest in a professional photo shoot of your products so visitors have a clear idea of the make, model, and size. To reduce server load, you can replace product photos with WebP images. WebP is an image optimization technique that compresses images without compromising their quality. Cutting image sizes to almost half helps them load faster.
• Landing page color palette: Test different combinations to find the one that best matches your business and web design theme. Unappealing colors or those that blend together or are hard to read can discourage users from completing their orders.

3. Expand product filters

Including filters to facilitate product search is mandatory. However, you can further boost its UX design by introducing more specific ones. That lets people narrow their search so they return only relevant results. Search extensions like the Magento 2 Improved Sorting make a huge difference in conversion rates.

Be sure to pay attention to how filters show up, rather than simply slapping them on a side menu. They need to function and be easy to navigate; if shoppers find it difficult to use them, they’ll ignore them, and you’ll have wasted your time and resources.

Have your webmaster or eCommerce store managers keep an eye on how filters and search options are working. Heat maps, for example, help determine how easy it is for visitors to interact with features. Consider the following tips to improve the UX of your product filters:

• Enable multiple filters selection
• Allow manual filter modification like price range, amount, etc.
• Base filters on a logical sequence like most recent, in stock, etc.
• Optimize filters for mobile screens
• Display selected filters above search results

4. Simplify checkout

Checkout plays a major role in your eCommerce store’s conversions. If users become stuck at any point in the process, they may decide to leave, with 22% of cart abandonments attributed to a complicated checkout. Other factors include difficulty calculating order costs, compulsory user registration, and extra costs like shipping that aren’t disclosed up front. Thankfully, most of those can be addressed in the website’s UX.

Look to revamp your checkout experience to secure sales and accomplish more ambitious conversion goals. You can start with:

• Implementing autofill forms: These grab users’ locations like country, state, city, etc., from their IP addresses or suggest options with the help of Google Maps. This feature helps them easily enter billing and shipping information.
• Shortening the steps to completion: You can accelerate the load time between steps in the checkout process for a better experience. Or, modify the design and replace a multi-step checkout with a single page (if you’re able) so people fill in all necessary details at once and submit without any delays or errors.
• Adding guest checkout: Consider waiving mandatory user registration as well so they can place orders as guests and create an account later if they want. This allows users who don’t want stores to retain their data to complete their purchase with peace of mind. Although a guest checkout option reduces your user data collection, it can boost your eCommerce store sales.
• Offering alternative payment methods: Digital wallets like PayPal, Amazon Pay, and Google Pay, which allow for single sign on checkout, can save your customers a lot of time, further simplifying checkout and lowering the barrier to buy.

5. Provide a brilliant mobile experience

Cell phones and other handheld technology are carving out a larger presence in the eCommerce industry. In fact, mobile responsiveness has become a basic requirement for online stores, and Google has included it as a ranking signal, so it’s imperative that your eCommerce store comply with mobile-friendliness standards to appear higher in search results. Incorporate mobile responsiveness in the development of your web shop and, later, optimize it for better UX.

Review how pages look on mobile screens to ensure they’re clear and concise. To target local communities, refine your website for local searches. Help people discover your eCommerce store by including target keywords. Mobile users may also expect smart functionalities like easy tap and scroll, so keep design elements accessible with tap options. You’ll also want to avoid making your contact form or surveys too long to answer; instead, use checkboxes or multi-select options.

Mobile websites should be responsive, have menus and navigation designed for handheld devices, and simplify processes for sign-up and checkout. No one wants to type out all their information on a mobile device.

6. Integrate visual and voice search

Today’s eCommerce market is flooded with search, platform, and seller options. Increasingly, eCommerce sellers also have to compete with customers using tools like Alexa or video search to find and buy products.

To go the extra mile, consider adding a smart visual search option for people who have images on a mobile device or computer and are searching for look-alike items. Visual search features allow shoppers to upload an image and obtain relevant results. They don’t need to know an item’s name, design, make and model, brand, or designer — your site’s search feature does the work for them.

7. Smart recommendations

You can boost eCommerce store sales further with smart product recommendations. Track consumers’ search and shopping history to suggest matching or related products and potentially increase their cart values. (Of course, this will require coding, a plugin, or a third-party platform like Amazon.)

Accessibility features

Good UX improves accessibility. However, you should still think about the specific implications for persons with disabilities. In a brick-and-mortar store, for instance, you might think of accommodations like a wheelchair-accessible entrance or providing services to meet the needs of your diverse customers.

Recent years have seen a growing emphasis on website accessibility, with various countries passing laws and policies to accommodate all users. In the U.S., for example, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requires businesses to provide equal access to their services and products for people with disabilities. Then, in 2010, the Department of Justice (DOJ) issued a rule stating that websites must be accessible to people with disabilities, including those who are blind or visually impaired, deaf or hard of hearing, or have physical disabilities.

Whether you run a small business or a large corporation, you must ensure your company’s website is accessible to all visitors. To help you meet the legal definition, incorporate the following five accessibility features into your website.

1. Textual accessibility features

One of the most important aspects of website accessibility is ensuring the text is easy to read. Part of that involves making the size and color contrast suitable for all users, including those with visual impairments. This is an important detail because:

• By allowing users to adjust the text size, visitors can increase it to a level that’s comfortable for them to read.
• A high contrast between text and background colors makes it easier for users with visual impairments to comprehend your website.

Another crucial textual accessibility element is text-to-speech software, which reads website content aloud to visitors. To implement this feature, you can add a plugin that gives users the option to hear the content. Text-to-speech software is beneficial both for users with visual impairments and those who prefer to listen to instead of reading content.

It’s also imperative that the language on your website be clear and easy to understand. Avoid using technical jargon or complicated verbiage that may be difficult for users to comprehend. You should also provide simple instructions on how to use your website’s features so people can navigate it easily.

Screen readers: What they are and why to implement them

Screen reader compatibility is another way to increase site accessibility for the visually impaired. Similar to text-to-speech, screen readers are software programs that read website content out loud. To make your website screen reader-friendly:

• Include alt text in all images: Alt text is a brief description of the picture that screen readers can read aloud. This helps users with visual impairments understand what the image depicts.
• Organize your website’s layout: Structure your site with headings, subheadings, and lists to make it easier for screen readers to move through the content and provide a pleasant user experience.
• Ensure all forms and interactive elements are easy to use: Employ labels and descriptive text to explain each field or button’s purpose in your forms and interactive elements.

Navigational accessibility features

Navigation is a core characteristic of any website, so yours must be clear and easy to use in general, but particularly for users with disabilities. In addition to screen reader compatibility, you can improve site navigation accessibility by:

• Making your website keyboard-friendly: Users who have physical disabilities often employ keyboard shortcuts to navigate through a website. This means all site features, including menus and buttons, should be accessible with only a keyboard. You can achieve this standard HTML tags and attributes that enable keyboard accessibility, such as “tabindex” and “aria-label.”
• Creating simple menus: This includes crafting clear and descriptive labels for menu items, avoiding drop-downs, and maintaining a consistent menu structure across all site pages. Providing a site map or search functionality can also be helpful for visitors who have difficulty finding specific content on your website.

Visual accessibility features

We discussed the importance of alt text in images for users who are blind or visually impaired. However, there are other visual accessibility features you can incorporate to achieve a more inclusive site experience:

• Closed captions for videos: Closed captions are text descriptions of a video’s audio content that appear on screen. This feature helps users who are deaf or hard of hearing understand what’s said in the video. You can add closed captions easily through various tools or plugins available on most video hosting platforms.
• Suitable color scheme and design: Include high-contrast colors on your site, avoid relying on color alone to convey information, and use easily readable fonts. You should also ensure the layout of your website is consistent and easy to follow.
• Legible text and interactive elements: Adopt a responsive website design that adapts to different screen sizes and resolutions. Also, offer options for users to adjust the size of the text or the zoom level on the page.

Cognitive accessibility features

This category of features is essential for users who possess cognitive disabilities. These users may struggle with reading comprehension, memory, or processing information, which can make it challenging to navigate a website. To lower these barriers, you can:

• Include simple language and clear instructions: Avoid complex sentences or technical jargon that can be difficult to understand. Instead, employ plain language and concise sentences to convey your message.
• Employ a consistent design and layout: Uniform design elements, such as color schemes, fonts, and page layouts, makes it easier for users with cognitive disabilities to comprehend your website. Additionally, maintain a clear and uncluttered website structure, with a logical hierarchy of content.
• Provide support: This can include providing audio recordings of your content or using text-to-speech software. Additionally, you can provide a glossary or list of FAQs to help users understand your website content.
• Offer clear feedback to users: Display confirmation messages when users complete an action, such as submitting a form or making a purchase. Be sure your error messages are clear and concise as well, with suggestions for how to correct the error.

The subtle benefits for you

Making your website accessible to all users can increase your consumer base and improve your brand reputation (not to mention, it’s the right thing to do). You also experience less obvious advantages like:

• Significantly improved SEO: Search engines like Google prioritize websites that are accessible to all users, including those with disabilities. As such, implementing features like alt text for images and closed captions for videos boosts your site’s search engine rankings, which can then lead to more traffic and conversions for your store.
• Legal protections: An accessible website is necessary to comply with legal requirements and prevent potential lawsuits. Failure to abide by the appropriate laws can result in costly lawsuits and negative publicity. Prioritize accessibility in your website design to mitigate these risks and ensure your business abides by legal requirements.
• Richer user experience for every visitor: Features like clear navigation and easy-to-read text create a more user-friendly website that’s simpler to use. That, in turn, increases customer satisfaction and loyalty, resulting in higher conversions and revenue for your business.

Wrapping up — Help your business by helping others

Ensuring your eCommerce website is accessible to all users is both a legal requirement and an ethical obligation. You can transform it into an inclusive experience by introducing textual, navigational, visual, and cognitive accessibility features. Incorporate these elements to provide a smoother experience for all visitors which, in turn, serves to expand your customer base and strengthen your site’s SEO. You’ll also prevent potential lawsuits by complying with legal requirements.

Accessibility is an ongoing process, and you should regularly evaluate your websites to make sure they meet the needs of all users. By prioritizing it in your website design and implementing the tips discussed in this article, you’ll create a more inclusive online environment and set a positive example for others in your industry — while reaping the rewards of greater consumer loyalty.

Published: January 19, 2023
Updated: July 30, 2024