Guidance re Accesskeys

As I understand it, accesskeys may be useful when they are used
considtently through an application, or (better) a user's entire
environment, so that users become familiar with them.  This is
relatively uncommon on the web, where few sites can expect to be
visited so often as to benefit.

With mod_accessibility, the situation is somewhat different.
It offers a standardised set of options that are likely to
be consistent throughout a site, and could potentially be
shared amongst all sites using it.  While the use of accesskeys
is ultimately controlled by the server administrator, I'd like
to designate default values for them, and use those at my
own sites.

Currently mod_accessibility offers users a choice of seven[1] views
on a page:
   Asis, Noframes, Medium (basic renditions but with different treatments
               of Frames and included contents).
   Full (adds Title attributes to all links)
   Betsie (emulates BBC betsie behaviour)
   Outline (shows page outline)
   Links (page links, with additional information)

I think these - particularly the Outline - will benefit from standardised
accesskeys.  But in assigning them, I'd like to avoid clashes with other
applications users are likely to be familiar with.  In the case of
Outline and Links, maybe I can do still better by assigning accesskeys
that are used for broadly equivalent functions in other apps.

Can anyone suggest accesskeys to use or avoid, or further reading
on the subject?


[1] Up to seven; this may be reduced by a server administrator,
as in the case of Site Valet where I've taken out the frames-fixing
options because it doesn't use frames in the first place:-)

-- 
Nick Kew

Received on Sunday, 23 February 2003 18:30:57 UTC