Head to the VirgoImage Project’s blog, Diversity Styling, to read Scribely Founder & CEO Caroline Desrosiers’ thoughts on how we can make the online shopping experience more inclusive for people who are blind or have low vision, deaf or hard of hearing.
Blog excerpt below:
“It’s exciting to see all the changes taking place with making fashion more inclusive for all. But is shopping itself inclusive? There are a surprising number of fashion brands that do not currently provide image alt text on websites and social media. People who rely on assistive technology want to shop online like everyone else,
but without alt text this is virtually impossible. Scribely wants to fix that. It’s important to understand your customers’ online access needs so you can design an eCommerce experience that works for everyone. For example, people who are deaf or hard of hearing (HOH) often use closed captions and transcripts to access video content. People living with mobility impairments tab through web-based content using their keyboard. People who are blind or visually impaired use screen reader technologies to listen to content as it is read out loud.
Providing accessible content does not have to be an overwhelming obstacle. Here are 5 simple accessibility tips that can be implemented right away:
Fashion sets the trends that society follows. As fashion becomes more inclusive and accessible, we will see society change in response. Scribely’s approach makes images accessible, unique and effective. We look forward to assisting brands in their pursuit of creating an accessible online shopping experience for today’s diverse, modern shoppers.”