Accessibility Evaluation of SHIEN
Summary
This project evaluated SHEIN's accessibility in two stages: manual assessment with WCAG 2.1 guidelines and verification tools, and automated detection of flaws using the WAVE Tool.
Role
Accessibility Evaluator
Team
Solo Project
Project Duration
2 Weeks
Tools
WAVE, JAWS, WCAG 2.1 Guidelines, Color Contrast Checker
Background
What this project is
This project was an exercise in the accessibility evaluation of my selected website - SHEIN. The evaluation was done in two stages - The first was a manual evaluation using the WCAG 2.1 guidelines, which I verified using JAWS, a color picker, and other independent tools. The second part involved using WAVE Tool to automatically detect the flaws and which guidelines they violate.
Background
Part 1 - Manual Accessibility Evaluation
This project was an exercise in the accessibility evaluation of my selected website - SHEIN. The evaluation was done in two stages - The first was a manual evaluation using the WCAG 2.1 guidelines, which I verified using JAWS, a color picker, and other independent tools. The second part involved using WAVE Tool to automatically detect the flaws and which guidelines they violate.
Part 2 - Automatic Usability Evaluation
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Led the design of various components for Gainwell Technologies' Product Design System.
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Developed a wide range of component variants to meet diverse use cases.
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Created comprehensive documentation outlining component structure, usage guidelines, and states.
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Ensured clarity and consistency throughout the system.
Wrapping Up
What I Learned:
Flaws discovered
Recognized flaws in regularly used webpages, emphasizing the importance of empathy and thorough evaluation.
Detailed findings with WAVE
Noted that WAVE provided more detailed insights than manual detection, such as identifying contrast violations that were overlooked.
False positives
Acknowledged that WAVE also produced false warnings, such as flagging certain alt text entries as redundant when they were necessary for comprehensibility.
Manual vs. automatic evaluation
I think both manual and automated evaluations are necessary, as each method has its strengths and limitations.
ARIA elements
Observed that the screen reader could describe images even without alt text due to ARIA elements, despite WAVE flagging the lack of alt text.