Today is Purple Tuesday – the UK’s accessible shopping day, which is being supported by names such as M&S. Hilary Stephenson, managing director of user experience (UX) design agency, Sigma looks at how retailers can improve both in store and online.
Accessibility within public, leisure and event spaces is something that many of us take for granted. However, for millions of people across the UK with disabilities, even simple trips to the shops can currently be filled with unnecessary difficulty, confusion and apprehension.
This was evident in our recent research, which highlighted a worrying lack of accessibility awareness across a range of UK leisure, transport and tourism venues. We found a quarter of businesses could not accommodate for those in wheelchairs, and a third were unable to accommodate for those with a cognitive impairment like autism.
Initiatives such as Purple Tuesday are a fantastic step forward for the 13.9 million people in the UK of ranging ability and condition. However, inclusion should be an everyday consideration – it’s not enough to simply be inclusive for one day a year and leave it at that.
What measures should be taken to ensure full accessibility for all shoppers?
In-store design
- Provide services for shoppers with cognitive impairments – create quiet zones and changing areas, implement a lanyard scheme so staff can identify those who may need additional support and allow individuals to skip queues if necessary.
- Ensure there is wheelchair access throughout the store, ensuring that products do not clutter the shop floor and impede this. Include lowered till points and – where appropriate – design toilets with users in mind. This can include supporting grab rails and a lowered sink and hand dryer area.
- Adapt for the blind by providing braille signs, being guide dog friendly and having trained staff on hand to guide passengers through the store if needed.
- Help those with hearing loss by ensuring that all messaging announced over loudspeakers – for example, promotions or customer notices – are clearly communicated in other ways. Implement hearing loops and ensure that all staff are speaking clearly when conversing with customers.
A 360 design approach
It’s not just about what retailers do in store; digital design is just as important. This must be carried out with inclusivity-first mindset.
All retail businesses must meet the accessibility standards outlined by the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines, however it’s about more than that. Retrofitting accessible features to try and make websites, apps or other digital platforms fit for purpose is often not enough; retailers must go back to basics to ensure that they are designing and coding inclusively from the ground-up:
- Research and understand the various needs and motivations of everybody that may be using a digital platform and tailor the design accordingly.
- Invite users with ranging abilities and needs to take part in usability sessions throughout the site’s design process. This will help assess how effective certain features are and highlight areas that need to be improved.
- Include features such as adjustable text size, optional visual effects, close-captioned or signed videos and links in which the clickable area is larger than the surrounding text.
Staff training
Another priority is to train all staff members to understand customers with ranging abilities. Enrolling employees onto courses, such as the National Disability Authority’s (NDA) e-learning module is a quick and easy way to do this. Ensure staff are trained on:
- Defining what “disability” is.
- Outlining what language they should use when talking with or about people with disabilities.
- Explaining how employees can improve their own practices to be more inclusive of people with disabilities.
By Hilary Stephenson
Managing director