Issue 143

Hello,
For tomorrow’s call we will discuss Issue 143.
The following is the original comment, followed by the proposed response and follow up actions. Please:

  *   +1 if you agree with the proposal
  *   Respond with concerns
  *   Raise any concerns you have during tomorrow’s call.

Original text:
There were two best practices that I've had personal experience with during my AAC career, which I couldn't find references to in the document. Perhaps worth looking into (or feel free to point me to where they are in the doc).


  1.  Object permanence. We frequently found that scrolling to find objects is challenging cognitively. This is true not just in the AAC use case but also for MCI. When we were doing research for Action Blocks, for example, we found some older adults putting all of their apps in folders on one page of the home screen - even if that makes the icons really small - because they didn't find paging through different screens cognitively easy enough.


  1.  Motor automaticity. This is a major theme in the AAC community, since a high level of cognitive burden due to the AAC app UI can interfere with the user's linguistic processes. There's a theme of keeping the same item on different screens always in a consistent physical location, so that the user can rely on muscle memory to activate and trigger them. I've found that this consistency greatly increases the learnability of user interfaces, particularly on touch surfaces.

Proposal:
Thank you for your comments.

Object permanence
Challenges with object permanence (not the particular phrase), are covered in:
·        3.2.1 User Story: Findable includes the user need - "I can reach important information and the controls I need without scrolling or carrying out other actions. They are not hidden or off screen."
·        4.2.6 Pattern: Make the Relationship Clear Between Controls and What They Affect - "Avoiding multiple or nested scrolling areas"
·        4.3.1 Pattern: Make it Easy to Identify the Most Important Tasks and Features of the Site - "Placing the tasks/features towards the top of the page so the user does not have to scroll to see them,
Placing the tasks/features toward the top of the content so assistive technology finds them quickly"
·        4.3.4 Pattern: Ensure the Most Important Things on the Page are Easy to Find - "Make key content visually stand out and be visible to users without needing to scroll the page or hover over content."

For the next draft, the group will consider:
·        Adding the term object permanence into the document to make it easier for those looking for the term to find the appropriate user stories and patterns
·        Adding the term into the glossary if the term becomes added into the document
·        Adding the term into a Use Case/Persona

Motor automaticity
Challenges around motor automaticity (not the particular phrase), are covered in:
·        3.7.4 User Story: Cognitive Stress - "I need simple, consistent content."
·        3.8.1 User Story: Adapt - "I need the controls to be consistently positioned on the screen where I expect them to be."
·        4.2.3 Pattern: Use a Consistent Visual Design - "Use a consistent visual design across groups of pages." and "Layout is consistent across blocks of content, including position of interactive elements and navigational controls."

For the next draft, the group will consider:
·        Adding the term motor automaticity into the document to make it easier for those looking for the term to find the appropriate user stories and patterns
·        Adding the term into the glossary if the term becomes added into the document
·        Adding the term into a Use Case/Persona

Adding the terms into the document, the glossary, and Use Cases/Personas is bigger than we can handle in the time we have available for publishing version 1. We are going to leave this issue open and address for the next version.


Jennie Delisi
Accessibility Analyst | Office of Accessibility
Minnesota IT Services | Partners in Performance
658 Cedar Street
St. Paul, MN 55155
O: 651-201-1135
Information Technology for Minnesota Government | mn.gov/mnit<http://mn.gov/mnit>
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