Alan's reply to - RE: Logos as links

Angela,

You have a very valid question.

You can do this several ways.

The main folks that need to know about this opening in a new window are blind users.
Here is how I usually describe a fix for this.

When a user is about to go to new context and content, they need to be told that fact along with the displayed link/buttons label text. This applies to loading a dialog or loading content in new windows or opening files or loading PDF files. Adding a title “Opens new window” or “Opens Dialog” or adding visually hidden text (Opens new window) or (Opens dialog) to the label or “Opens new window” or “Opens Dialog” to an aria-label (which also starts with the displayed text) are different ways to fix this issue.
If the link opens a different file format than an html web page, that information needs to be announced as well. 
Similarly, "Opens PDF in new window" is required when opening PDF files in new windows.
Links that open dialogs should announce their label and “Opens dialog” in similar fashion to links that open new windows (stated above). 
The challenge is if you are blind, you need to know what will happen when you select a button or link. This is crucial when the content is either a dialog or a new window/tab. The reason is that the user needs to know any unique display of content that they are about to be brought to if it is not a typical page replacing the current page.
When opening or displaying dialogs, in particular, users need to know that one will open because it requires possibly different navigation and reading techniques to hear what it is displaying.
When opening in new windows, this requires reorientation to the contents and controls to return to the previous pages which is more challenging since the back arrow in the browser (via Alt+Left Arrow) does not return to the previous page.
With these types of links, it is not just the label first, but the immediate action that will follow the selection of the link that users need to know about. Links that have a target=”blank” are links that have this opens new window issue.

I hope this helps.

Alan Smith

From: Davis, Angela (ITS)
Sent: Thursday, July 18, 2019 2:05 PM
To: w3c-wai-ig@w3.org
Subject: Logos as links

An application that I am auditing for accessibility issues contains a logo that is a link. The logo is actually text. The link is in the header and is the text version of the logo for the website. When clicked a new tab opens a new page, the homepage for the website (the home page is in the same domain). What would be the best way to tell the user that they will be sent to a new page once they click the link?

Please note the designers of this website do not want to include the opens new window icons, visual text in the link telling the user the link opens in a new window or underlining the text in the link. I think that a pop up containing a redirect message would be the best option for them.

What I need to know:

Will the pop up containing the redirect message fulfill WCAG 2.0 Guideline 3.2 – Predictable?
https://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG20-TECHS/G201.html

Is there any type of exceptions for logo text links in a header?

If I should email a different group please let me know.

Thank you,

Angela

Angela Davis
Information Technology Specialist 2
NYS Office of Information Technology Services
Citizen Services Cluster | Application Systems Engineering