Baltini Accessibility Audit
Web Accessibility Remediation for Baltini website to make it conforms with the WCAG technical standards and comply with the ADA.
This Baltini accessibility audit and WCAG 2.1 AA remediation covered the online store of a luxury fashion retailer offering designer clothing, shoes and accessories from many Italian and international labels.
A luxury marketplace asks shoppers to filter by brand, size and colour, study detailed product imagery, and check out — all through interactive controls. For a shopper using a screen reader or a keyboard, the accessibility of those filters, options and the checkout decides whether they can buy.
Table of Contents
Why accessibility is critical for an online store
E-commerce is one of the most active areas of United States web-accessibility law. Under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Title III, an online store is treated as a place of public accommodation, and courts and settlements have repeatedly pointed to WCAG 2.1 Level AA as the working standard for an accessible shop. For a high-end multi-brand store the detail matters: size and colour pickers a screen reader cannot read, designer specifics shown only in images, or a product option a screen reader cannot read, or a checkout that traps keyboard focus, quietly turns a willing customer away.
Scope and standard
Our Baltini accessibility audit assessed the store against WCAG 2.1 Level AA, mapped to ADA Title III, across the journeys that matter for a fashion retailer: brand and category browsing, product pages, size and colour pickers, filtering, the cart and checkout, and the account area.
How we ran the Baltini accessibility audit
- Screen-reader testing with JAWS and NVDA on Windows, VoiceOver on macOS and iOS, and TalkBack on Android
- Automated audits with Deque axe, Google Lighthouse and WAVE
- Keyboard-only operation of every step, with attention to focus order and a clearly visible focus indicator
- Colour-contrast analysis, plus 400% zoom and reflow testing for low-vision users
What accessibility means on each part of the site
Because Baltini sells through product options and a checkout, our Baltini accessibility audit focused on the controls a shopper relies on:
- Size, colour and brand filters need names and states a screen reader can read, so a shopper knows exactly what is selected.
- Product imagery and detail need meaningful alternative text, since designer cut, fabric and finish are otherwise lost without sight.
- Product specifics and sizing charts must be real text, not images, so everyone can choose correctly.
- The cart and checkout need labelled fields, announced errors and a focus order that never traps the keyboard, because this is where the order is completed.
- Search, filtering and navigation need operable controls, visible focus, sufficient colour contrast and clean reflow at high zoom.
Outcome
This Baltini accessibility audit, combining manual and automated testing with remediation, brought the site into line with WCAG 2.1 AA and ADA Title III expectations, so people using a screen reader or a keyboard can use it without barriers. Every fix was verified with assistive technology rather than assumed from an automated pass.