RE: text size increasing

I don't think we want to say that it should be bold.. since that is an
attribute that may already be there for some text and has meaning.

What we want to say is that the 'stroke width' of the characters should also
increase. Not just the size.  This usually happens automatically as you get
larger - but the font you use can affect how soon this happens.  Use a font
with a natural stroke width that is a bit thicker.  (too thick by the way is
also not good). 

 
Gregg

 -- ------------------------------ 
Gregg C Vanderheiden Ph.D. 
Professor - Ind. Engr. & BioMed Engr.
Director - Trace R & D Center 
University of Wisconsin-Madison 


-----Original Message-----
From: w3c-wai-gl-request@w3.org [mailto:w3c-wai-gl-request@w3.org] On Behalf
Of Maurizio Boscarol
Sent: Saturday, June 19, 2004 8:14 AM
To: W3C WAI
Subject: text size increasing


Another issue:

In redoing my site, some months ago, a low-vision user told me that my 
text were not accessible for him. Why not, i asked: after all you can 
increase text even in explorer, and I tested all the color contrast with 
w3c suggested formulas through Juicy Studio blessed tool.

Well, what was up?

A simple thing. When increased at maximum size explorer could do ("very 
big" in text size pulldown menu), the text simply didn't become "fat" 
enough. The lines of some text remained of 1 px. But, after struggling 
myself to find what user needed (he wasn't able to explain me) I had an 
insight. The text should become "bold" when increased at maximum level 
explorer allows (that is the worst condition today). Every line in the 
text should be at least of 2 pixel.

This is very important for low-vision user, because it increases also 
the contrast. The letters are easier to perceive. But they simply aren't 
aware of that, they can't tell us. They only know if the text is ok or 
not. After I increased the default size of my text via css (just a 3% 
more in my case) - so that every text became bolder when size  increased 
at maximum size in explorer/windows - the user told me "It's ok, now".

So I think this rule can be interesting for discussing in the working 
group, that eventually can reformulate it in a better english and use it 
in technique documents.

I hope this may help.

Maurizio Boscarol
http://www.usabile.it/

Received on Saturday, 19 June 2004 09:38:30 UTC