COGA Guidance Subgroup: Summary, action items, and minutes for January 29th

Hi, folks, thanks for the good discussion today. It was great to have Jen
join us im her first COGA subgroup meeting. And thank you, Len, for
scribing!

*Summary*
We reviewed several illustrations in Make the purpose of your page or view
clear
<https://docs.google.com/document/d/1uAVRkNIgd3XlUIGQ6Gq-ZOcnwsFvIM9UJ1dNyHq8NSQ/edit?pli=1&tab=t.bsh23yg8s3cz>
.

In 1. Use a clear heading for each page or view
<https://docs.google.com/document/d/1uAVRkNIgd3XlUIGQ6Gq-ZOcnwsFvIM9UJ1dNyHq8NSQ/edit?pli=1&tab=t.bsh23yg8s3cz#heading=h.doa3gkx8hl2s>
:

   - In the summary:
      - We replaced "(H1 in html)" with a sentence that has more wiggle
      room so we offer clearer, more practical guidance. Len and Jen noted that
      many web pages start with a visible H2 and hide the H1 so the page will
      meet WCAG standards. For these reasons, the paragraph now ends with this
      new sentence: "On many web pages, this means starting with H1 in
      html."
   - In the "Do" and "don't" illustrations of clear vs vague headings
      - We discussed several reasons why we should switch from modals to
      web pages.
      - We also discussed challenges of sticking with "Service not
      available" in these examples.
      - *Action item: *+Jennifer Reilly <jmreilly@google.com> to suggest
      alternative pair of "Do" and "Don't" examples of clear vs vague headings.

In 2.
<https://docs.google.com/document/d/1uAVRkNIgd3XlUIGQ6Gq-ZOcnwsFvIM9UJ1dNyHq8NSQ/edit?pli=1&tab=t.bsh23yg8s3cz#heading=h.uuka7jpuvftv>Use
signposts to help users know the purpose of the content
<https://docs.google.com/document/d/1uAVRkNIgd3XlUIGQ6Gq-ZOcnwsFvIM9UJ1dNyHq8NSQ/edit?pli=1&tab=t.bsh23yg8s3cz#heading=h.uuka7jpuvftv>
:

   - In the summary:
      - Rashmi requested that we add a definition for "signposts."
      - *Action item: *Volunteer needed to draft a "signposts" definition.
   - In the progress-bar illustrations:
      - We discussed the need for more specific step names and also to
      remove the last caret to make clearer that Step 3 is the last step.
      - *Action item: *+Rashmi RK <rashmirkatakwar@gmail.com> to suggest a
      specific form with a clear purpose and to suggest step names so
Gareth can
      rework the progress-bar illustrations.
   - In the "Do" and "don't" examples of tabs and color:
      - We started discussing the challenges with the current set of
      illustrations.
      - *Question for the subgroup:* Is it essential to come up with a
      different way to illustrate how to use tabs and color to reinforce
      the heading and help users know where they are?
         - The "Don't" example of "Don't rely on color alone" breaks an
         existing WCAG rule that is included in the "WCAG
compatibility" subsection
         at the bottom of this "What to do" section.
         - Can we simply remove these problematic "Do" and "Don't"
         examples? Or is there a different point we should be making
about headings,
         tabs, and colors?
      - We did not get to discuss the illustration of a page overloaded
   with too many design elements.

*Other action items to be completed*

   - +Julie Rawe <jrawe@understood.org> to edit and share the V2
   introduction
   - +Lisa Seeman <lisa.seeman@zoho.com> to rework "How to test" section
   <https://docs.google.com/document/d/1uAVRkNIgd3XlUIGQ6Gq-ZOcnwsFvIM9UJ1dNyHq8NSQ/edit?pli=1&tab=t.ht1sood1wqs8#heading=h.o4vlkrh7n9y3>
   in the interactive-elements pattern
   - +Beasley, Len <BeasleyL1@aetna.com> to look at the visible-label
   pattern
   <https://docs.google.com/document/d/1uAVRkNIgd3XlUIGQ6Gq-ZOcnwsFvIM9UJ1dNyHq8NSQ/edit?pli=1&tab=t.bzlxq1ykahxq>
   and see if there are any big holes we need to fill before the subgroup
   reviews

*Minutes*

   - https://www.w3.org/2026/01/29-coga-minutes.html



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*Director, Content Strategy & Accessibility*
jrawe@understood.org
www.understood.org


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