Collected WAI comments on the Mobile Web Best Practices Last Call

Mobile Web Best Practices 1.0

User Agent (browser) developers are participants in the mobile value
chain. The user agents for mobile devices should conform with UAAG
[1] guidelines as appropriate. This is especially true now that some
mobile devices have add-on assistive technology such as screen
readers.

The document's purpose is aimed more at content developers rather than the
tools to render the content. Underlying this purpose is a continuing
discussion of the limitations of the devices and user agents involved (such
as screen size, color depth, input limitations, memory, etc.)

[linkage opportunity from WAI document]
(1) I can imagine a full version of the doc playing the same role in the ATAG
conformance model that WCAG does (i.e. as a standard that an authoring tool
guides the author towards conformance with). Perhaps a note to this effect can
be put into ATAG 2.0.

[linkage opportunity from MWBP document]
(2) Clearly all the adaptive stuff in the doc would require authoring tool
support. Therefore, the Mobile Web group might consider putting in an
informative note about the role of authoring tools (and ATAG) just as WCAG
has. This is the text of the WCAG 2.0 note:

"
A large part of Web content is created using authoring tools. These tools
often determine how Web content is implemented, either by making authoring
decisions directly or by limiting the choices available to the author. As a
result, authoring tools will play an important role in creating Web content
that conforms to the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines. At the same time,
we recommend that all authors become familiar with the Guidelines because this
will help in creating accessible content and coverage of the Guidelines may
vary between tools.

Developers of authoring tools can help to make their tools more aware of the
Web Content Accessibility Guidelines by following the Authoring Tool
Accessibility Guidelines. We encourage users and purchasers of authoring tools
to consider conformance to the Authoring Tool Accessibility Guidelines as a
criterion when selecting tools.
"


Specific comments:

section 3.1
which ever content adaptation implementation model is used, the model must
retain necessary accessibility information (alt, label, etc.) and convey
that information to the mobile device and the user.

The following Best Practices Statements should reference UAAG checkpoints.

5.29 Refreshing, Redirection, and Spawned Windows
should reference
UAAG 2.4 Allow time-independent interaction (P1) - 1. For rendered content
where user input is only possible within a finite time interval controlled
by the user agent, allow configuration to provide a view where user
interaction is time-independent.

UAAG 3.5 Toggle automatic content retrieval (P1) 1. Allow configuration so
that the user agent only retrieves content on explicit user request.

5.3.7 Background Images
should reference
UAAG 3.1 Toggle background images (P1) - 1. Allow configuration not to
render background image content.

5.4.3 Structural Elements
should reference
UAAG 10.4 Provide outline view (P2) - 1. Make available to the user an
"outline" view of rendered content, composed of labels for important
structural elements (e.g., heading text, table titles, form titles, and
other labels that are part of the content).


[1] http://www.w3.org/TR/2002/REC-UAAG10-20021217/

Received on Monday, 27 February 2006 09:38:04 UTC