Re: POUR Principles in Silver

Hi Mark,

Quick reply on this one.

The current plan with the IA is to have a very flat level of initial guidance but with the ability to add “tags” to pieces of guidance / methods to enable them to be categorised. One of the categories that we can include in this is the POUR Principles. So they will be there…but the current plan isn’t to have them be as key to the overall guidance as they currently are in WCAG 2.1.

During research we found some issues with peoples understanding of WCAG due to the perceived complexity of the guidance so we are trying a different approach to see if it makes a difference. With all of this stuff, nothing is set in stone and we’re trying to be as malleable as possible so if this approach works…great! If not, then more than happy to look at alternatives that can be used.

Many Thanks

Mike

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Dr Michael Crabb
Lecturer (Human Computer Interaction)
School of Science and Engineering, University of Dundee
+44 (0)1382 385491 | m.z.crabb@dundee.ac.uk<mailto:m.z.crabb@dundee.ac.uk>


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From: Mark Tanner <levelpress@gmail.com>
Date: Wednesday, 26 September 2018 at 13:14
To: "public-silver@w3.org" <public-silver@w3.org>
Subject: POUR Principles in Silver
Resent-From: <public-silver@w3.org>
Resent-Date: Wednesday, 26 September 2018 at 13:13

A question I have, which was raised by reading both the Plain Language and Information Architecture prototypes, is what role (if any) is intended for the WCAG principles in Silver?
The principles are removed from the information architecture and apart from the occasional mention of “understand” in the “Why?” section of the Plain Language prototype, make no explicit appearance there either.
Not using the POUR principles to organise and structure the Silver information architecture makes perfect sense, but possibly dispensing with them entirely seems worth debating at least, which is my reason for writing.
The principles don’t need to be the framework around which to organise the Silver guidelines and success criteria, but they can still be the foundation upon which each guideline and success criteria is understood and explained.
This would require two things:
 1. An explanation of the principles (or an updated variation of them) as a preamble to Silver (much as exists now in WCAG).
2. Explanations in the “Why?” section of the plain language prototype which explicitly used the language (and ideas) of the principles to explain the reasons for a particular guideline or success criteria. (Most guidelines can be usefully understood as embodying at least 2, sometimes all 4, of the current principles.)
Keeping hold of the principles and using them in this way would have a number of advantages:

•       Understanding the core principles underlying ALL the guidelines helps a deeper understanding of the individual guidelines themselves

•       It enables and encourages developers and designers to think creatively and  innovatively, rather than just adopting a checklist mentality.

•       It helps provide an important sense of continuity from WCAG

•       While specific guidelines and success criteria will, understandably, change over time, the principles will continue to hold true.
Dispensing with the principles (if that is what is intended) may be a case of throwing the baby out with the bath water. I would be really interested to hear what others think.
Mark Tanner

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