Re: Seeking thoughts on real world application of SC 1.4.2 Audio Control on iOS

Gregg,

You may have missed a key point I was making - that I'm looking at the 
WCAG SCs /as applied to a native iOS application/, and not to a web app 
running on iOS.

That is something we'll need to do a lot more of, thanks to our work and 
more significantly thanks to the EU & US application of WCAG to non-Web 
applications.


Peter

On 5/22/2013 9:59 PM, Gregg Vanderheiden wrote:
> *
> *
> */Gregg/
> --------------------------------------------------------
> Gregg Vanderheiden Ph.D.
>
> *
> *
> *
> *On May 22, 2013, at 8:16 PM, Peter Korn <peter.korn@oracle.com 
> <mailto:peter.korn@oracle.com>> wrote:*
> *
> *
>> *Hi gang,
>>
>> For a (growing?) number of our success criteria, the underlying 
>> environment/platform provides support such that it is (no longer) 
>> necessary for the application to do anything special.  For example, 
>> it is no longer necessary for an application to be self-enlarging to 
>> meet SC 1.4.4 Resize Text 
>> <http://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG/#visual-audio-contrast-scale>, since 
>> virtually every current version of every browser will do this.  It is 
>> only necessary to not be incompatible with that browser feature.
>> *
> *
> *
> *
> *
> *GV2: Actually, this is not a recent development.   This was true 
> before WCAG even went to last call the first time  (two years before 
> it was adopted) -- and in fact was a condition for accepting that SC 
> at level AA.   So this isn't a recent thing that changed since WCAG 
> was released. *
> *
> *
>> *
>> Thinking now about SC 1.4.2 Audio Control 
>> <http://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG/#visual-audio-contrast-dis-audio>, 
>> specifically on iOS, I wonder if we may be in a similar situation.  
>> When I am listening to audio on my iPhone (e.g. listening to a 
>> podcast or music), and I use VoiceOver to interact with the phone, 
>> while VoiceOver is speaking, it lowers the volume of whatever is 
>> playing so that VoiceOver's speech is clearly intelligible.  I 
>> haven't measured, but the volume difference may be as great as the 20 
>> dB difference specified by the AAA SC 1.4.7 Low or No Background 
>> Audio <http://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG/#visual-audio-contrast-noaudio>.
>> *
> *
> *
> *GV2:  Correct.   And back when WCAG was done this was true of a few 
> applications.  But then and now, the success criterion was needed 
> because it is not always true.   And it is important that, when it is 
> not true, there is another away to achieve this.   At some point in 
> the future when all popular platforms allow this  then it will be 
> something that authors will no longer need to do.   The success 
> criteria were carefully worded so that this would happen.*
> *
> *
> *
> *
> *
> *
> *Now the question arises as to why the SC 1.4.4 (Large Text) was 
> included in WCAG 2.0 back in 2006 if ZOOM would satisfy this success 
> criterion.     The answer is twofold.*
> *1) because it would prevent someone from doing something (intentional 
> or unintentional) to defeat the ZOOM.*
> *2) but most importantly - because it would bring to peoples attention 
> (at level AA) that this was an important issue --- and to provide a 
> place to attach advisory techniques that went much further than the 
> success criterion in providing guidance on this important topic. *
> *
> *
>> *
>> So it seems VoiceOver/iOS is addressing the user need behind this SC; 
>> though perhaps not addressing it fully...?  I note that, at least in 
>> iOS v6.1.4 there doesn't seem to be an option to set the volume level 
>> that the "background" audio is lowered to, so the platform doesn't 
>> expose the full capability described in Understanding SC 1.4.2 
>> <http://www.w3.org/TR/UNDERSTANDING-WCAG20/visual-audio-contrast-dis-audio.html>. 
>>
>>
>> Anyway, I'm curious about the TF's thoughts on this. Specifically:
>> *
>>
>>   * *Are we at least close to an analogous situation to SC 1.4.4,
>>     where an (iOS) app can rely on the underlying OS to handle the
>>     SC?  (of course you would test to ensure compatibility with the
>>     feature)*
>>
> *
> *
> *GV2:  we are getting close (but not there) -- for that one platform. 
>  But since web pages are not written to only be viewed on that 
> platform -- and since it isn't on other platforms  -- I don't see that 
> it has any effect on our guidelines. *
> *
> *
> *Also note that when it was true across platforms for 1.4.4 with zoom 
> -- the group still thought it important to include it.
> *
>>
>>   * *Whatever the specific requirements of the SC, have we
>>     fundamentally met the user need?  Or does anyone know of specific
>>     users for whom the built-in volume-lowering functionality of
>>     VoiceOver on iOS is insufficient*
>>
> *GV2:  since the guidelines are about content across platforms -- what 
> one platform does is not relevant.   We had that issue too back then 
> when Opera had many access features built in but it was only on that 
> platform. *
> *
> *
> *Regards*
> *
> *
> *Gregg*
> *
> *
> *(we should find a way to capture some of these -- perhaps in a Q&A 
>  or FAQ page on WCAG.   Or put it in Understanding somehow? *
> *
> *
> *What do people think?
> *
> *
> *
> *
> *
> *
> *
>>
>> *Regards,
>> *
>>
>> *Peter
>> *
>>
>> *--
>> <oracle_sig_logo.gif> <http://www.oracle.com/>
>> Peter Korn | Accessibility Principal
>> Phone: +1 650 5069522 <tel:+1%20650%205069522>
>> 500 Oracle Parkway | Redwood City, CA 94064
>> <green-for-email-sig_0.gif> <http://www.oracle.com/commitment> Oracle 
>> is committed to developing practices and products that help protect 
>> the environment *
>

-- 
Oracle <http://www.oracle.com>
Peter Korn | Accessibility Principal
Phone: +1 650 5069522 <tel:+1%20650%205069522>
500 Oracle Parkway | Redwood City, CA 94065
Green Oracle <http://www.oracle.com/commitment> Oracle is committed to 
developing practices and products that help protect the environment