RE: Personalisation - your thoughts please

Ah yes, I understand where you're comming from now. But this is potential
already quite doable. If content were stored more generally as XML (XHTML)
then a stylesheet can be used to perform the transformation to pretty much
any format you like. All we need to do is convert everything currently held
as HTML into well formed XHTML and we're away!! Simple!!

This is how I personally see any interface being handled. Provided you can
get at the underlying data and you have an "understanding" of that data you
can present it how you like. Whether it be SVG, MathML, whatever. By
exposing content in such a way it gives the client the ability to customize
it's presentation. It's simply the separation of content and presentation
often spoke about. OK there are lots of outstanding issues regarding
existing formats like flash, PDF,  and numerous other issues, but in
principle, if content is described well enough we should be OK.

And please do not think that I believe that XML is the be all and end all
and the solution to everything. It's not and there are many issues
surrounding this approach but theoretically I can't see why it couldn't
work.

Cheers
Ian

-----Original Message-----
From: Simon White [mailto:simon.white@jkd.co.uk]
Sent: 19 April 2002 14:10
To: Kjetil Kjernsmo; w3c-wai-ig@w3.org
Subject: RE: Personalisation - your thoughts please


To clarify further, the site would be triple-A accessible and follow every
single WCAG guideline to the letter. However, if a user found the need to
make the site run quicker if it was delivering content that sat perfectly
with their Assistive Tech, would this be a better thing? It is almost to the
extent that a deaf user could ensure that any content is automatically
rendered for their browser and AT and enable them to use it in an easier
manner, is this a good thing or does the WCAG checklists cover all this and
personalisation is irrelevant?

A further application would be to deliver content that is applicable to
their particular disability. The idea is that the majority of users (over
90%) would be disabled users and that the site is tailored to this group in
the same way that an ASP developer can find sites that deal only in ASP.

I hope that this clears up any confusion.

Thanks for the comments, please keep them rolling in as they are very much
appreciated.

Kind regards

Simon

-----Original Message-----
From: Kjetil Kjernsmo [mailto:kjernsmo@blindeforbundet.no]
Sent: Friday, April 19, 2002 14:03
To: Simon White; w3c-wai-ig@w3.org
Subject: Re: Personalisation - your thoughts please


On Friday 19 April 2002 14:05, Simon White wrote:
> Dear All,
> What do people think about an idea of a website offering the ability
> to personalise the site dependent upon a person's disability. This
> would be an option rather than a rule and could enable a blind person
> to have content delivered to them that is displayed to suit their
> requirements (be that for their disability or the assistive
> technology they use). If pesonalisation was not required then content
> would be delivered as if it were an accessible Web page.

It is my opinion that _everbody_ would benefit greatly if WCAG were 
followed by as many sites as possible, not only those with disabilities 
(and I think that W3C WAI made a significant mistake in marketing this 
as something that was mostly for people with disabilities).
The main thing with accessibility is that it enables people do so many 
different things with pages than just the narrow "view them on a 
screen". 

Therefore, I think that a site should be highly accessible by default. 
Even triple-A. Then, visitors could personalise a site by adding bells 
and whistles to suit them.

After all, do you think people could personalise your site if they can't 
find it accessible when they first enter?

Kjetil 

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Received on Friday, 19 April 2002 09:46:16 UTC