Making Online Shopping Accessible - Web Accessibility Principles and Best Practices

Learn about web accessibility challenges in e-commerce through this conference talk that explores how people with disabilities navigate online shopping experiences. Discover the importance of accessibility principles, buying power of disabled consumers, and common barriers like inaccessible video ads, poor color contrast, limited zoom functionality, difficult navigation, problematic forms, and unclosable popups. Gain insights into implementing accessibility features on existing component-based sites through development techniques like skip-to-main content, ARIA attributes, and automated testing tools including NVDA, VoiceOver, and AXE. Understand the business benefits of accessible design including increased revenue, social sustainability, and improved SEO rankings. With the European Accessibility Act taking effect in 2025, explore why addressing these issues is crucial for both social impact and regulatory compliance. Presented by QA Engineer Ekaterina Gousheva and Development Team Lead Emil Peychev, who bring combined expertise in quality assurance, web development, and creating inclusive digital experiences.