Suggestions for Bobby

Some suggestions for Bobby based on viewing 3.1 . We can discuss in today's
call.

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1. Remove any body color or image from the output because bobby output text
is hard to see or invisible against some backgrounds.

Similarly, remove any BODY attributes or style sheets that change color of
text and links.

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2. Output identifies trouble spots by quoting the HTML, e.g.

Provide alternative text for all buttons in forms.   (3 instances)
Line 124: <input TYPE="IMAGE" SRC="images/b_gotoaisle.gif" WIDTH="92"
HEIGHT="34" BORDER="0" VALUE="Go to Aisle!" id="IMAGE4" name="IMAGE4"> 

Most of the people I deal with rely on  visual (WYSISYG, or what you see is
what your get) web page editors, e.g. AOLPress, Front Page, DreamWeaver,
etc.  At best, it's tedious to find the spot identified by Bobby.  At
worst, for people who don't know any HTML, it's impossible. 

Also, even for HTML mavens, this is a bit verbose. 

== For images, I'd suggest output like

Line 24 SRC="images/b_gotoaisel.gif"    [  postage stamp image goes here ]

I'm not suggesting actual image processing to to get the postage stamp
image.  Just use the original image, but shrink images with height greater
than say 50 pixels so that height is 50 pixels.  Then person quickly know
what image you mean.

== For other objects, like tables, you could perhaps number the bobby hats
and make them anchors so you could jump back to them.  In fact, I seem to
remember that an earlier version of Bobby did this. 

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3. Stress that ALT text has to be accurate and functional before site can be 
Bobby Approved. Add this to "Accessibility Questions".

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4. Provide a quick way for people to check if the ALT text for the images
is informative, and if LONGDESC or D link needs to be added.  E.g. lots of
images have things like  ALT="topleftg.gif (456 bytes)" (which Front Page
puts in by default.

There are at least two ways to do this:

a. display alt text next to image in the output you give.
b. have a table with postage version of image and alt text.


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4. Emphasize more strongly that page gets a Bobby Approved only if the
manual checks (in "Accessibility Questions" are all OK. 

To make sure people do this, I'd suggeest that if a page passes all text,
don't say "Bobby Approved" yet.  Instead, say

"You're close to being Bobby Approved.  To get approval check the following
questions

Is all ALT text accurate and functional?   (o)no    (  )yes

   (maybe put that postage stamp display of images and alt text here)

If this table is used to display data in rows and columns (i.e. a
spreadsheet), have you provided a summary of the table?   (o)no     ( )yes
etc.
             [SUBMIT]

If person has checked all the "yes" boxes and presses SUBMIT, Then they get
the "Bobby Approved" congratulations.

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5. Would be nice to have error output and bobby hatted page in two separate
windows, with some way that clicking on error output line brings you to and
flashes hat adjoining part of text it's referring to.

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6. Some of the things I've mentioned above are visually oriented.  We'd
have to think if that output is optimum for people using Bobby who are
blind.  Might want two separate outputs.  Yes, normally we don't like
separate "text only" pages, but if the separate page is automatically
generated by Bobby it should be as high quality as the visually oriented
page.  May not be necessary though.  Needs some more thought.




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Leonard R. Kasday, Ph.D.
Universal Design Engineer, Institute on Disabilities/UAP, and
Adjunct Professor, Electrical Engineering
Temple University

Ritter Hall Annex, Room 423, Philadelphia, PA 19122
kasday@acm.org        
(215} 204-2247 (voice)
(800) 750-7428 (TTY)

Received on Friday, 23 April 1999 10:28:05 UTC