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Proactive Accessibility: Making Your Site Inclusive & Effective | Wes Buckwalter | SMS | Bonus Ep

Proactive Accessibility: Making Your Site Inclusive & Effective | Wes Buckwalter | SMS | Bonus Ep

On this bonus episode of Honest Ecommerce, we have Wes Buckwalter. Wes is the CEO and Creative Director at SeaMonster Studios. We talk about ADA & WCAG guidelines, agency & business's responsibility in site compliance, accessibility from different user perspectives, and so much more!

Honest Ecommerce · Chase Clymer with Wes Buckwalter

September 12, 202436m 12sbonus

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Show Notes

CEO and Creative Director at SeaMonster Studios, Wes Buckwalter manages a small team of geniuses, keeps them paid, and fights for their rights as employees of what he hopes is the best job they've ever had. He advocates for the creativity of my employees and contractors, managing day to day operations, finance, and client relations. 

SeaMonster Studios have delivered over 1500 websites to clients over the last 18 years. They are a proud Shopify Plus partner and have become a top-tier partner with several app developers within the Shopify ecosystem.

Wes started out in the trenches, designing and building websites before a small screen had ever been considered and have continued to champion and pioneer skills in the web and ecommerce fields that gave him a start in this industry.

In This Conversation We Discuss: 

  • [00:49] Intro
  • [01:50] From early ecommerce venture to a thriving agency
  • [03:19] Navigating the gray areas of ADA & WCAG guidelines
  • [04:48] Balancing site compliance with brand aesthetics
  • [06:06] Compliance as a continuous improvement process
  • [08:08] Accessibility from different user perspectives
  • [09:28] Starting accessibility with thorough site reviews
  • [10:05] Preventing lawsuits with digital accessibility
  • [11:25] Improving awareness on accessibility issues
  • [12:19] Directing legal threats to small Ecommerce sites
  • [14:02] The financial dynamics behind lawsuits
  • [15:29] Parallels between tech fixes & construction audits
  • [16:21] Addressing agency flaws by reviewing past work
  • [17:14] Understanding varying WCAG compliance across states
  • [18:34] Balancing agency & business’ responsibility
  • [19:47] Exploring limitations in automated accessibility 
  • [21:01] Managing compliance when stacking Shopify apps
  • [22:07] Shopify's limits on compliance control
  • [23:56] Using Shopify's flexibility while avoiding pitfalls
  • [25:39] Combining AI tools and human testing for site fixes
  • [27:26] Accessible Web for efficient compliance scanning
  • [28:39] Restraints in plug-and-play accessibility tools
  • [29:25] Critiquing overlay tools for accessibility issues
  • [30:33] Image descriptions for better user navigation
  • [31:56] Setting standards for product compliance & SEO
  • [33:22] Free site review from SeaMonster Studios

Resources:

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Topics

ecommerceecommerceweb design + ux/uipizza hutdigital accessibilityrite aidaccessible webchase clymerweb content accessibility guidelinesshopifyweb developmentweb designseamonster studiosamericans with disabilities actand developmentwcag compliantshopify expertsfull-service digital agencyecomwes buckwalterseodata-driven strategybraillegoogle lighthousedesign studioada compliancedesignwcag compliancepga
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