Loren Stewart Accessibility Audit
Web Accessibility Remediation for Loren Stewart website to make it conforms with the WCAG technical standards and comply with the ADA.
This Loren Stewart accessibility audit and WCAG 2.1 AA remediation covered the online store of a fine-jewelry brand offering modern, finely crafted pieces sold direct to customers.
A jewelry store asks shoppers to choose metals, sizes and finishes, sometimes add engraving, and check out — all through interactive controls. For a shopper using a screen reader or a keyboard, the accessibility of those options and the checkout decides whether they can order the right piece.
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 fine-jewelry brand the detail matters: metal, size and finish options a screen reader cannot read, ring-size guidance locked in an image, 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 Loren Stewart accessibility audit assessed the store against WCAG 2.1 Level AA, mapped to ADA Title III, across the journeys that matter: product pages, metal, size and finish options, any engraving choices, sizing guidance, the cart and checkout, and the account area.
How we ran the Loren Stewart 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 Loren Stewart sells through product options and a checkout, our Loren Stewart accessibility audit focused on the controls a shopper relies on:
- Metal, size and finish options need names and states a screen reader can read, so a shopper always knows what is selected.
- Ring-size and care guidance must be real text rather than images, so everyone can choose correctly.
- Product images need meaningful alternative text, since detail and finish are otherwise lost without sight.
- 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 Loren Stewart 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.