Re: For content to be accessible should it inform if what you are interacting with is an ad or not ad

On 16/08/2022 10:12, Patrick H. Lauke wrote:
> Possibly also under 1.3.1 looking at perhaps marking up ad content as an 
> <aside>, but it's not really a strong enough case I'd say to fail 
> something if it doesn't do this.

I'd say definitely 1.3.1 on failing to provide programmatic access to 
visual structure, although I'm finding that some discussion sites and 
local news sites only make a weak distinction between ads and contents. 
Its enough to help you find the end of the advert, with a little 
difficulty, but I often run into the advert, stall because it doesn't 
make sense in context, then start looking around apparent visual 
boundaries for to see if content is consistent with the editorial, 
before resuming reading.  This is all with Firefox in a standard 
configuration and no AT.

In some cases, just the little bit I read before realising I've run into 
an advert may be enough, a at least if the YouTube opt out after 5 
seconds model works; one is still continually presented with the brand.

I'd also agree that 1.3.6 is relevant in relation to identifying the 
purpose of the region, although I note that, unlike 1.3.1, that doesn't 
limit itself to cases where the purpose is not clear to non-AT users.

Unfortunately, there is a continuing battle between advertisers and the 
public's ability to ignore them that forces advertisers and web sites 
which sell consumers to advertisers, to push usability to the minimum 
they can get away.  I think it is unfortunate that WCAG considers poor 
usability not to be an accessibility issue, especially as I think that 
it must be one for people with cognitive disabilities. (That 1.3.6 
creates more usability for AT users than non-AT ones suggests even WCAG 
struggles to remove usability from the criteria.)

The worst ones are often click bait ones, which don't advertise a 
product, but rather take you to a web site which provides some 
sensational but shallow editorial, and the actual adverts.

Received on Tuesday, 16 August 2022 09:56:16 UTC