RE: [#832] Clear link text - priority and acceptability of supplemental text

Hi David

You wrote:
" is it not a barrier to use of the web if clear links are needed from a
cognitive point of view?" 

Gvan:
Not if the text around the link makes it clear what the link is about.  
The meaning of the link does not have to be in the link.  

The classic is    For information on the last equation on the exam [click
here].  

Where [click here] is the link.   This is not good form but it does not make
the page unusable. 

 
Gregg

 -- ------------------------------ 
Gregg C Vanderheiden Ph.D. 
Professor - Ind. Engr. & BioMed Engr.
Director - Trace R & D Center 
University of Wisconsin-Madison 


-----Original Message-----
From: david poehlman [mailto:poehlman1@comcast.net] 
Sent: Monday, June 21, 2004 7:36 PM
To: Gregg Vanderheiden; 'Michael Cooper'; 'WAI GL (E-mail)'
Cc: w3c-wai-ua@w3.org
Subject: Re: [#832] Clear link text - priority and acceptability of
supplemental text

is it not a barrier to use of the web if clear links are needed from a
cognative point of view?
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Gregg Vanderheiden" <gv@trace.wisc.edu>
To: "'Michael Cooper'" <michaelc@watchfire.com>; "'WAI GL (E-mail)'"
<w3c-wai-gl@w3.org>
Cc: <w3c-wai-ua@w3.org>
Sent: Monday, June 21, 2004 6:26 PM
Subject: RE: [#832] Clear link text - priority and acceptability of
supplement al text



Clear link text means that the text that is visible on the page needs to be
clear - yes?
This would be a type V guidelines since it would specify how the page would
look in its default presentation.

Also - is this a crucial barrier to use of the web -- or just good design.

Since I don't see this as a bar to use of the web - it would fall in level 2
or 3.

Gregg

 -- ------------------------------ 
Gregg C Vanderheiden Ph.D.
Professor - Ind. Engr. & BioMed Engr.
Director - Trace R & D Center
University of Wisconsin-Madison


-----Original Message-----
From: w3c-wai-gl-request@w3.org [mailto:w3c-wai-gl-request@w3.org] On Behalf
Of Michael Cooper
Sent: Monday, June 21, 2004 3:35 PM
To: WAI GL (E-mail)
Cc: 'w3c-wai-ua@w3.org'
Subject: [#832] Clear link text - priority and acceptability of supplement
al text


The requirement to make clear link text is currently a Level 3 success
criterion
[1]. In my opinion this should be a level 1. In discussion with the
techniques
task force, we thought it might be a level 3 because of the possibility to
use
supplemental text to clarify the link (e.g., the "title" attribute in HTML).
But
for that to work, we need to know that the supplemental text will be
presented
to the user when needed. But the UAAG [2] does not provide a single mandate
for
how this is to be accomplished, and further permits supplemental text to be
presented instead of the orginal text, not just alongside. We are unsure of
the
implications of this for the clear link text requirement and the use of the
"title" attribute to fulfill that requirement in HTML.

I propose that the requirement for clear link text be moved to level 1.
Specific
mechanisms for achieving that should be left to technology-specific
techniques,
though it would be useful if the guidelines would comment on the role of
features like the "title" attribute in HTML for meeting this requirement.
This
may require coordination with the User Agent group.

[1]
http://www.w3.org/WAI/GL/WCAG20/WD-WCAG20-20040602.html#consistent-behavior-
target-identified
[2] http://www.w3.org/TR/UAAG10/guidelines.html#tech-conditional-content

--- Signature ---

Michael Cooper
Accessibility Product Manager, Watchfire
1 Hines Rd Suite 200, Kanata, ON  K2K 3C7  Canada
Tel: +1 (613) 599-3888 x4019
Fax: +1 (613) 599-4661
Email: michaelc@watchfire.com
Web: http://www.watchfire.com/

Received on Monday, 21 June 2004 23:27:39 UTC