The engagement at a glance
- Environment
- E-commerce website; desktop and mobile
- Coverage
- Account access, product listings and details, cart, and checkout
- Methods
- Automated checks, screen readers, keyboard, zoom, and contrast testing
- Deliverable
- Detailed accessibility audit with remediation recommendations
The challenge: evaluate the complete shopping journey
Online shopping requires more than reading a product page. Customers need to navigate menus, search for products, select options, manage their cart, and understand feedback during checkout. A barrier in one interaction can interrupt the next step.
The evaluation examined those connected tasks and the interface states customers encounter along the way.
How the accessibility evaluation was performed
David LoPresti led an accessibility evaluation covering account access, product listings and details, cart, and checkout. Automated checks were combined with manual screen reader, keyboard, browser zoom, and color contrast testing across desktop and mobile environments.
Testing considered both the information presented on a page and how controls, focus, forms, and dynamic updates behaved during interaction.
What testing revealed
The report connected technical findings to the shopping tasks affected. Examples included:
- Search results that could not be reached by keyboard. Suggested results appeared during search, but keyboard users could not access them through the expected interaction.
- Controls with unclear names or states. Some controls did not communicate enough information for a screen reader user to identify their purpose or current state.
- Cart updates without screen reader feedback. Adding or removing an item changed the cart without an appropriate announcement, making the result harder to confirm.
- Focus, form feedback, and enlarged-content barriers. Other findings addressed focus behavior, error feedback, and content that overlapped or became difficult to use when enlarged.
What the audit delivered
The deliverable was a detailed accessibility audit report. Findings recorded the issue location, severity, user impact, relevant accessibility criterion where applicable, reproduction steps, and recommended changes.
For example, a cart-feedback finding explained the action taken, the missing screen reader announcement, the consequence for the shopper, and the recommended correction. That level of detail gives developers a concrete behavior to investigate and address.
The report provided a documented foundation for prioritizing remediation and planning subsequent verification across the customer journey.
Questions about this engagement
What did this e-commerce accessibility audit cover?
The evaluation covered account access, product listings and details, cart, and checkout, with desktop and mobile testing. It examined keyboard interaction, screen reader output, zoom behavior, contrast, and automated findings.
What information did the developers receive?
The report documented issue locations, severity, user impact, reproduction steps, applicable accessibility criteria, and remediation recommendations so developers could investigate the observed barriers.
Review sample deliverables
View sample reports to explore our audit and VPAT/ACR reporting formats. Read these separate, anonymized examples directly on our website without a signup.
Services and planning resources
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EdTech Accessibility Case Study: Audit and VPAT/ACR Documentation
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