Accessibility in S-kaupat.fi Website for Elderly Customers

Abstract

The purpose of this thesis project was to investigate, from the perspective of accessibility, the user experience of elderly customers on the S-kaupat.fi online store. The goal was to understand and evaluate the current experiences of the elderly customers while visiting the online store and give suggestions for improvement. The client for this thesis was the owner of the S-kaupat.fi store, SOK.

The theoretical framework of the thesis report is based on a literature review that provides an in-depth understanding of previous research and theories on the subject. In addition, industry standards serve as a theoretical basis of the research. The combination of literature review and standards provides a solid foundation for the research and helps to understand the background of the topic and the current situation from the perspective of the field.

The thesis used a mixed method with an online survey as the data collection method, where questions focused on the experiences and challenges of elderly users in using the S-kaupat.fi online store, as well as possible suggestions for improvement. The research was carried out directly using the S-kaupat.fi online store's system, which enabled access to the target audience and helped to collect accurate and up-to-date information. The survey questions were divided into 6 different topic areas, which were related to different areas of web accessibility in online shopping. One thousand five hundred and eighty-nine participants took part in the survey, with survey questions consisting of quantitative and qualitative questions.

The results of the survey yielded valuable information about the experiences of elderly customers in the S-kaupat.fi online store. Analysis made it possible to identify the perspectives and challenges that elderly customers face in online shopping. The participants mentioned the difficulties in navigating the store and the payment process as the biggest challenges. Challenges in the navigation of the store appeared in the search bar function, where the product was not found unless the product name was written completely correctly. Challenges in the payment process appeared as a failure to pay for the order or difficulties in changing the payment card. Based on these results, the provide provides recommendations to the S-kaupat.fi online store which can positively affect the user experience and improve the satisfaction of elderly customers and the accessibility of the online store.