Re: CHANGE PROPOSAL: Table Summary

Hi Roger,

On 12/6/09, Roger Johansson <roger@456bereastreet.com> wrote:
>
> On 6 dec 2009, at 14.59, Ian Hickson wrote:
>
>> I think a better way to get data
>> about this would be a set of usability studies of Web authors
>> followed by
>> double-blind studies of the pages they write. For example, take six to
>> nine Web developers, and give them the task of marking up some Web
>> pages
>> that include particularly complex data tables in an accessible way
>> that is
>> still aesthetically pleasing to them.
>
> I think it is important to take into account that it also needs to be
> aesthetically pleasing to any stakeholders who may have issues with
> the table being explained in a way that is visible to all users. It is
> unfortunate, but sometimes the only way to improve accessibility is to
> "sneak it in under the radar".

Good thought Roger. If it is decided that the Task Force wants to do
some type of a table summary usability testing, that would be
essential criteria.

> It would be interesting to find out if not explicitly associating the
> explanation with the table causes problems for AT users who use
> shortcuts to jump straight to the table and thus miss out on any
> information that is provided in paragraphs around it.

Yes.

Best Regards,
Laura

On 12/6/09, Roger Johansson <roger@456bereastreet.com> wrote:
>
> On 6 dec 2009, at 14.59, Ian Hickson wrote:
>
>> I think a better way to get data
>> about this would be a set of usability studies of Web authors
>> followed by
>> double-blind studies of the pages they write. For example, take six to
>> nine Web developers, and give them the task of marking up some Web
>> pages
>> that include particularly complex data tables in an accessible way
>> that is
>> still aesthetically pleasing to them.
>
> I think it is important to take into account that it also needs to be
> aesthetically pleasing to any stakeholders who may have issues with
> the table being explained in a way that is visible to all users. It is
> unfortunate, but sometimes the only way to improve accessibility is to
> "sneak it in under the radar".
>
>> The developers would be split into
>> three groups, one being given instructions on using summary="", one
>> being
>> given instructions on writing paragraphs around the table, and one
>> being
>> given no instruction at all.
>
> It would be interesting to find out if not explicitly associating the
> explanation with the table causes problems for AT users who use
> shortcuts to jump straight to the table and thus miss out on any
> information that is provided in paragraphs around it.
>
>> This I think would most effectively demonstrate whether one method or
>> another is better.
>>
>> I think it would be fantastic if we could do this. If people agree
>> that
>> this is a reasonable thing to do, I might (emphasis on "might") be
>> able to
>> get the resources to do this early next year.
>
> It sounds like a good idea to me.
>
> /Roger

-- 
Laura L. Carlson

Received on Sunday, 6 December 2009 23:06:53 UTC