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The Universally Usable Web: Accessibility without Compromise

Harry Hochheiser Department of Computer and Information Sciences Towson University hhochheiser@towson.edu. The Universally Usable Web: Accessibility without Compromise. Universal Usability. Interfaces that work for all users despite differences in abilities, experience, or technology

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The Universally Usable Web: Accessibility without Compromise

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  1. Harry Hochheiser Department of Computer and Information Sciences Towson University hhochheiser@towson.edu The Universally Usable Web:Accessibility without Compromise

  2. hhochheiser@towson.edu Universal Usability • Interfaces that work for all users despite differences in abilities, experience, or technology • Not “dumbing down” the interface • Not “Click here for text-only site” • Not prohibitively difficult or expensive

  3. hhochheiser@towson.edu A four-step program for making your site universally usable • Learn • Guidelines and Principles • Test • Use automated tools to identify usability problems • Revise • Fix major problems where possible • Plan • Build Accessibility into your next major upgrade.

  4. hhochheiser@towson.edu Learn: Accessibility Guidelines • W3C Web Accessibility Initiative • http://www.w3.org/WAI • Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 1.0 (WCAG) • WCAG 2.0 coming soon • Section 508 • Ensure Graceful Transformation • Make Content Understandable and Navigable • What’s good for accessibility is good for all users

  5. hhochheiser@towson.edu Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (1.0) • Provide equivalent alternatives to auditory and visual content. • Don't rely on color alone. • Use markup and style sheets and do so properly. • Clarify natural language usage • Create tables that transform gracefully. • Ensure that pages featuring new technologies transform gracefully. • Ensure user control of time-sensitive content changes. • Ensure direct accessibility of embedded user interfaces. • Design for device-independence. • Use interim solutions. • Use W3C technologies and guidelines. • Provide context and orientation information. • Provide clear navigation mechanisms. • Ensure that documents are clear and simple.

  6. hhochheiser@towson.edu Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (2.0) • Perceivable • Provide text alternatives for any non-text content so that it can be changed into other forms people need, such as large print, Braille, speech, symbols or simpler language • Provide synchronized alternatives for synchronized media • Create content that can be presented in different ways (for example simpler layout ) without losing information or structure • Make it easier for users to see and hear content including separating foreground from background • Operable • Make all functionality available from a keyboard • Provide users with disabilities enough time to read and use content • Do not design content in a way that is known to cause seizures • Provide ways to help users with disabilities navigate, find content and determine where they are

  7. hhochheiser@towson.edu Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (2.0),continued • Understandable • Make text content readable and understandable • Make Web pages appear and operate in predictable ways • Help users avoid and correct mistakes • Robust • Maximize compatibility with current and future user agents, including assistive technologies • May become a “candidate recommendation” by April or May 2008

  8. hhochheiser@towson.edu Test • Automated checks for compliance with guidelines • Firefox Accessibility Extension (Illinois Center for Information Accessibility) - functional accessibility evaluator?

  9. hhochheiser@towson.edu More tests – IBM aDesigner

  10. hhochheiser@towson.edu Still More Tests • Multiple evaluations • Different tests find different problems • Screen Reader Output – Fangs for Firefox

  11. hhochheiser@towson.edu Revise • Fix major problems and those that are easy • Alt tags for images • Language • Inaccessible scripts • Priority 1,2, then 3 • WCAG 2.0: A, AA, and AAA • Nothing is ever perfect • Note problems/shortcomings for redesign

  12. hhochheiser@towson.edu Plan • Inventory accessibility concerns before the next redesign • Pay attention to • Tables in layout • CSS usage • JavaScript/AJAX • Embedded content (Flash, Java, etc.) • Develop plan for fixing problems in new design

  13. hhochheiser@towson.edu Universal Usability • AJAX, JavaScript, and other flashy tools are neat… • But what do they really add to the user experience? • Use sparingly and appropriately. • Resulting site will be • More accessible • Easier to test, maintain, and implement

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