How shopping at BAUR became barrier-free - Behind the Scenes

It all started with the question: What does web accessibility mean and what technologies are behind it? To create this basis, the colleagues at empiriecom received training, including courses such as the W3C's Introduction to Web Accessibility. The training courses conveyed why accessibility is important and how it benefits all users, with or without disabilities.

At the same time, an Otto Group task force analyzed the requirements of the Barrierefreiheitsstärkungsgesetz for the German market. Experts from empiriecom examined which points BAUR needed to implement in concrete terms. This analysis resulted in a clear plan: so-called test tickets were created for each guideline of the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), which covered all store areas and resulted in work packages for the teams.

The adjustments affected many details that are often overlooked in everyday life. Colour contrasts have been optimized, brand logos adapted, navigation made possible entirely via the keyboard and alt texts improved. Alt texts are text alternatives for images that provide a description for users who cannot see them. People with visual impairments are particularly dependent on the browser zoom, i.e. a significant enlargement of the content on the page. This means that texts can be enlarged without any loss of quality. Buttons, forms and navigation remain fully usable - even when the font is greatly enlarged. For this reason, the scalability of text sizes has also been ensured so that content remains legible when the browser is zoomed.

All these changes not only facilitate access for people with disabilities, but also improve usability (user-friendliness) for all customers.

Here are just a few specific examples that have been implemented:

Individual interviews were conducted with three employees of the BAUR Group on the topic of accessibility in the BAUR store - one person who is fully blind and two people with visual impairments.

The aim was to gain a better understanding of the customer journey - i.e. the process from the homepage to the purchase of a product - and to gain practical experience, for example in using a screen reader.

The interviews were conducted according to a structured guideline. First, the participants were asked to introduce themselves and describe their previous experiences with online stores. They were then put into practice: "Imagine you want to buy a new T-shirt online from BAUR. Please describe how you would proceed."
This was followed by a joint tour of the store.

Questions were asked such as:

• What is your first impression of the homepage?
• Are you missing a function or information?
• Which particular settings are important to you?

The findings from the interview with the person who relies on a screen reader to use an online store were particularly revealing. This showed how important clear status messages, correct tab sequences and comprehensible alternative texts are.

A crucial step was then to test the implemented measures in practice. To this end, usability tests were carried out with people who have different limitations. The collaboration with the Pfennigparade Foundation in Munich made realistic test conditions possible: Each test subject has their own workstation there, equipped with individual aids such as permanently installed keyboards, special input devices or screen reader software.

The test group consisted of:

• Two people with visual impairments
• Two people with physical impairments (e.g. limited mobility of the hands)
• Two completely blind people who use screen readers

The tests covered various usage scenarios: Product search, navigation through categories, shopping cart functions and filling out forms. For example, insights were gained that will be directly incorporated into future optimization.

• Screen readers did not display all relevant information, such as the number of search results or error messages when submitting forms.
• Color contrasts were not always sufficient at high zoom levels, which made it difficult to read.
• English terms led to problems with the voice output.

The findings from the tests and interviews clearly show that accessibility is not a one-off project, but an ongoing process. The work is not finished - on the contrary, it is constantly evolving. Plans include an analysis of how many users with disabilities visit the store, further interviews with people with disabilities and, of course, regular optimizations of the store.