Accessibility-Led Marketplace Redesign That Increased Buyer Confidence

Design · 6 min read

The marketplace had above-average return rates attributed to mismatched expectations. Accessibility audits revealed that screen reader users and those with cognitive disabilities were missing critical product details like size, fit, and material. The team restructured product pages with richer, labeled metadata, standardized hero images, and explicit 'fit for use' badges.

Design changes included semantic HTML with ARIA landmarks, simplified language for product descriptions, consistent image aspect ratios with zoomable regions, and a required ‘what it’s best for’ field for every listing. They also introduced a toggle to switch to a ‘concise’ view that strips marketing flourishes in favor of essential facts.

After rollout, returns attributable to misinterpretation dropped 29% and conversion for users using assistive technologies rose 21%. Customer satisfaction scores improved across demographics, and sellers reported fewer dispute claims. The project demonstrates that accessibility improvements often deliver broad commercial benefits when they reduce ambiguity in product communication.