It took me quite awhile to become an Amazon shopper. It wasn’t because I
didn’t like to save money, or have merchandise delivered to my door, or
because I felt no desire to join the online shopping revolution. It was
that I was intimidated by the Amazon web site, which for someone who uses a
screen
reader, can seem overwhelming. In an effort to sell nearly everything on
Earth, Amazon has made for a serious time commitment for those who are
unfamiliar with the landscape. I’ve heard even sighted users complain about
the mind-boggling number of choices, and that navigating the Amazon web site
can be as formidable as navigating the actual South American Amazon.
Amazon is serious about getting your business. I know that because I
complained to them about a certain inaccessible feature that had prevented
me from using their site. I was subsequently contacted by a very
solicitous person from the executive customer relations department, who
immediately set about the task of correcting the problem. Further, he asked
me to advise him as to
other areas of the site that could use similar improvements. He thanked me
for my
contribution, and left me feeling as though I had made a real difference for
those who would follow in my screen reading footsteps.
He left me with a few tips, too. One of which has proved to be useful not
only for shopping at Amazon, but other web sites as well. He pointed out
that the mobile version of the Amazon web site was a more accessible version
of the main site, and it could be used by both desktop and mobile users. He
said it lacked the “bells and whistles” of the main site, which I
interpreted to mean the graphics, flash animation and other visual debris
that can interfere with efficiency.
This was very good news.
As it turns out, the Amazon mobile site is the most wonderfully accessible,
easy to use shopping interface imaginable. I can make a purchase at
lightening speed, probably faster than a sighted person could. Fewer
screens, fewer distractions, fewer “rabbit trails” that take you to a screen
leading to nowhere.
To see this accessible alternative, go to;
www.amazon.com/access.
My brother recently pointed out that Facebook also has a mobile version of
their site. Again, it’s all text, no graphics, and lacks the ads and other
happy hoopla that makes the site appealing to the light-dependent crowd.
Go to: www.m.facebook.com.
More sites are now offering mobile versions of their main web properties,
meant specifically for use with mobile phones. However, used with your
desktop, these alternative versions also provide some great accessible
options for anyone who is visually impaired, time-constrained, or who has
anger-management issues and who detests the graphic flotsam and jetsam of
most shopping or social media destinations.
Know of others? Send them my way!
LL