RE: Fresh start? Re: Minimal Browser Capabilities

What about knowledge and training of the user.  See below.

-----Original Message-----
From: w3c-wai-ig-request@w3.org [mailto:w3c-wai-ig-request@w3.org]On
Behalf Of Charles McCathieNevile
Sent: Thursday, 27 December 2001 10:08 AM
To: Tina Marie Holmboe
Cc: w3c-wai-ig@w3.org
Subject: Fresh start? Re: Minimal Browser Capabilities

There is another area I see as important in the area of User/Developer
responsibilities and that is the area of knowledge of the use of available
tools.
If a tool is freely available and the user does not know how to use it
correctly is that the Developers fault or show a need for training for the
user.  Note This may imply that there is a need for training to be provided
to the user but this is a matter for other agencies.

As an example of this:
Many users have dificulty using a browser because of lower sight however in
most browsers mechanisms exist to enable the change of size of fonts.  If
the designer has not stopped the use of this in some way can he be really
considered to have presented an inaccessible site.

Another example:
At a recent seminar a demonstration was given by a blind user of using Jaws.
He was having dificulty finding something and had pronounced the site
inaccessible.  Someone asked him to use the Find facility and told him how
to do it and he found the link imediately.  He stated he didn't use the find
facility because "he didnt know if it worked or not". In this case was the
site inaccessible or was it that the user lacked the training to use it
effectively.  Should the designer have catered for this.

Harry Woodrow

Received on Wednesday, 26 December 2001 23:08:00 UTC