Usability as a Driver of Customer Experience

eCommerce and accessibility: when you remove a barrier, you don’t just improve a metric, you invite someone to come in.

Written by: Gonzalo Pérez Gasca y Julia Morer

Imagine an elderly person trying to complete a purchase on their mobile phone with tired eyesight. Or someone in a hurry, filling in checkout details with one hand while holding a child. Or a customer with a temporary wrist injury who today cannot properly use a mouse. Or a blind user navigating with a screen reader.

In eCommerce, these “hands we don’t see” are not edge cases: they are real customers. And the key point is this: accessibility is not a compliance add-on; it is human-centered design applied to business. Because when a site is clearer, more predictable, and easier to use for those who face more barriers, it also improves for everyone.

1) Accessibility: from “complying” to “caring”

In 2025, digital accessibility stopped being a “nice to have” and became a legal requirement in Europe. The European Accessibility Act (Directive (EU) 2019/882) applies to consumer products and services in the private sector, including eCommerce services, and its entry into force date was June 28, 2025 (EUR-Lex). In Spain, this obligation was incorporated through Law 11/2023 (BOE).

For those who need to go deeper into the regulatory details, compliance deadlines, and specific penalties, we have thoroughly analyzed the legal framework in our dedicated article: The keys to Spanish legislation on digital accessibility.

But the mistake would be to approach it as “ticking boxes.” If we treat it as a checklist, we will end up with rigid experiences, visual patches, and legal text. If we treat it as people-centered design, we achieve what truly matters in eCommerce: clarity, trust, and smoothness.

2) Inclusive usability: where accessibility multiplies conversion.

Accessibility is often explained through standards and usability through experience. But in practice, they are the same conversation:

• Accessible: I can interact even if I have limitations (permanent or temporary).

• Usable: I achieve it without unnecessary effort.

When both come together, they do not add up: they multiply. If we had to choose a place where this union directly impacts the business, one example would be the checkout, because that is where any friction turns into abandonment.

To achieve a checkout (and an eCommerce) that converts more, we must apply inclusive usability on four key fronts:

2.1.“Single-pass” checkout: reducing cognitive load.

An inclusive process guides with clear microcopy and avoids surprises in costs or timelines.

• Visible progress (where I am / how much is left).

• Group fields by intent (personal data, shipping, payment) and not by “internal model.”

• Avoid surprises: costs, delivery times, and returns visible before payment.

• Contact alternatives (consistent help: chat, phone, WhatsApp, contextual FAQ).

This is not just UX: it is inclusion for elderly people, people in a hurry, people with fatigue, or with attention difficulties.

2.2. Forms that do not punish errors, but prevent them.

An accessible form does not depend on the user having “perfect vision” or getting it right the first time.

• Labels always visible (not only placeholder).

• Clear and actionable error messages (for example, “The postal code must have 5 digits”).

• Friendly validation: notify early, but without interrupting.

• Keep entered data after a failure (especially in payment).

2.3.  Interaction without “surgical precision”

Many users navigate with one hand, while moving, with tremors, or using a keyboard.

• Generous buttons and touch targets (especially on mobile).

• Avoid small and closely placed controls (carts, size selectors, +/–).

• Visible focus states (keyboard) and immediate feedback after actions (added to cart).

2.4. Navigation and content that “save” the sale

In inclusion, luxury is not flourish: it is understanding at first glance.

• Tolerant search engines: Offer autocomplete and properly handle typos.

• Decision-oriented descriptions (“what’s included,” “for whom”) and less marketing jargon.

• “No results” pages that offer alternatives instead of a dead end.

The conclusion is clear: inclusion is not a technical requirement, it is an ethical decision that improves the final metric. When design respects those who face more barriers, it becomes easier for everyone.

3) “POUR” translated into eCommerce (without jargon, with impact)

Classic accessibility principles are usually summarized as Perceivable, Operable, Understandable, and Robust. In an online store, they become very human questions:

• Can it be perceived? (contrast, readable typography, not relying only on color).

• Can it be operated? (keyboard, focus, no traps; reasonable time limits).

• Is it understandable? (clear language, consistency, explained errors).

• Does it work in different contexts? (mobile, screen readers, browsers, text enlargement).

When you answer “yes” to this, you are doing more than complying: you are opening the door.

4) How it becomes business

Well-executed accessibility is not a “sunk cost.” It is a lever for:

• Conversion: less friction on PDP, cart, and payment.

• Less abandonment: especially on mobile and forms.

• More loyalty: people return where they feel competent.

• Less support: fewer incidents due to avoidable errors.

• Better SEO and perceived performance (structure, hierarchy, clarity).

The principle is simple: when design respects those who need it most, everyone buys more easily.

5) Practical approach for an eCommerce SaaS: “accessible by default”

From a SaaS platform, the most powerful approach is not to “audit each store as a handcrafted project,” but to design components and patterns that are born accessible and usable:

• Design system with consistent states (hover/focus/disabled).

• Accessible critical components: menu, search, filters, carousel, variation selector, modal, accordion, forms, notifications.

• Templates and sections that reduce improvisation (where inconsistency is born).

• Content governance: simple rules for banners, pop-ups, landings, and campaigns (what most often breaks accessibility is “the temporary”).

6) A “minimum viable” accessibility that is also great UX

If you had to prioritize 10 actions with immediate return, we recommend the following:

1. Contrast and readable typography throughout the funnel

2. Full keyboard navigation with visible focus

3. Forms with labels, help, and clear error management

4. Large touch targets on mobile

5. Consistent content hierarchy (headings, sections, CTA)

6. Cart and checkout without surprises (costs, timelines, returns)

7. Filters that are easy to use and undo

8. Status messages (added to cart, payment error) clearly announced

9. Authentication and account recovery without blocks (codes, captchas, etc.)

10. Statement and feedback channel (and that it is used to improve)

Inclusion as an ethical decision that builds brand

At Aktios, talking about accessibility is not talking about “compliance.” It is talking about people-centered design: creating online stores thinking about real customers, in real situations, with real bodies, with real urgency.

Because when you remove a barrier, you don’t just improve a metric: you invite someone to come in. And when a person comes in without effort, without fear, and without friction… the business also enters a new league: the league of trust.