RE: alt title and links

My bad. I assumed that the icon had the word "Search" on it. I was referring
only to the method used to convey both the function and the icon to a person
unable to see it.

Chas. Munat

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Kynn Bartlett [mailto:kynn-edapta@idyllmtn.com]
> Sent: Monday, August 20, 2001 8:50 AM
> To: Charles F. Munat; WAI Guidelines WG
> Subject: RE: alt title and links
>
>
> At 3:13 AM -0700 2001/8/20, Charles F. Munat wrote:
> >What about:
> ><a href="search.html"><img
> >     src="magnifyingglass.gif"
> >     alt="Search (Note: icon is a magnifying glass)"
> >     ></a>
> >To me, this seems to include the benefits of both. First, it
> identifies the
> >purpose of the control: to bring up the search page. Second, it describes
> >the visual clue that identifies that function: an icon of a magnifying
> >glass.
> >The benefit, as I see it, is that now the VI user knows both, so
> she can get
> >to the search page, but she can also write an email to her
> non-VI friend and
> >say "just click on the magnifying glass icon to go to the search page."
>
> The problem here is that it perpetrates a usability problem by allowing
> the author to get away with just an inexplicable magnifying glass on the
> site instead of something saying "Search."
>
> Let's not -- in our rush to gain greater comprehension -- assume that
> graphics are ALWAYS going to be easier to understand than text.  You can
> have at least as many comprehension difficulties with poorly chosen icons
> as you can with textual content.
>
> In the above example I would instead suggest:
>
> <a href="search.html">
>    <img src="magnifyingglass.gif" alt="Search magnifying glass">
>    Search
> </a>
>
> See the problem with the original example was that the text was only
> hidden in the ALT text.  Putting the word "Search" as inline text
> gives a number of accessibility benefits for many audiences.
>
> --Kynn
>
> --
> Kynn Bartlett <kynn@reef.com>
> Technical Developer Liaison
> Reef North America
> Accessibility - W3C - Integrator Network
> Tel +1 949-567-7006
> ________________________________________
> BUSINESS IS DYNAMIC. TAKE CONTROL.
> ________________________________________
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>

Received on Monday, 20 August 2001 16:51:52 UTC