Inclusive by Design. Accessible by Standard.
Redesigning the personal shopper service for South Africa's most used e-commerce platform.
Role
Accessibility Consultant & UX Researcher
Timeline
1 Month
Team
Alcott + Public Volunteer Users
Year
2024
The Problem
Takealot's Personal Shopper service was inaccessible to users with visual impairments and motor disabilities — violating WCAG 2.1 AA standards and excluding a significant user segment. The service also lacked a coherent service blueprint, leading to inconsistent shopper experiences.
The Approach
Conducted accessibility audit using screen readers (NVDA, VoiceOver) and keyboard-only navigation. Ran participatory design sessions with three users with disabilities. Mapped the full service blueprint across digital touchpoints, shopper operations, and fulfilment.
The Solution
Rebuilt the Personal Shopper onboarding and preference-setting flow to WCAG 2.1 AA compliance. Redesigned focus states, contrast ratios, heading hierarchy, and form labelling. Introduced alt-text governance guidelines for product photography. Delivered an end-to-end service design blueprint for operations alignment.
Outcomes