RE: Animation conveying information

Michael,

The fact remains that the 1.3.3 does not normatively refer to text. In G96 as a technique for meeting this success criterion it specifically refers to the addition of text as identifying an instruction.

I’m confident instructions not relying “solely on sensory characteristics of components such as shape, color, size, visual location, orientation, or sound” does not refer only to text.

Ricky

From: Michael Livesey <mike.j.livesey@gmail.com>
Sent: Sunday, August 4, 2024 7:28 PM
To: Adam Cooper <cooperad@bigpond.com>
Cc: Ricky Onsman <ronsman@tpgi.com>; Ms J <ms.jflz.woop@gmail.com>; w3c-wai-ig@w3.org
Subject: Re: Animation conveying information

CAUTION:EXTERNAL EMAIL SENDER!

Hi Adam,

I'm a developer rather than an auditor, just to caveat my interpretation.

However, I would say that an arrow is not an instruction. Otherwise we would get into all kinds of issues with icon buttons needing description, like magnifying glass for search, or tick/cross etc.

There are several other WCAG SC that cover the requirements to describe what will happen when the user clicks the button.

I would interpret 1.3.3 quite narrowly to relate to the description of what things look like and not to base those descriptions on purely sensory characteristics or location.

Sarah, given your use case is for children I would recommend even more SVG as the best tool to make a fully interactive, fun UI. SVG gives the power to morph shapes, animate along paths, and much more. It's basically the power of the old Adobe Flash.

On Sunday, August 4, 2024, Adam Cooper <cooperad@bigpond.com<mailto:cooperad@bigpond.com>> wrote:
> Michael,
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> How would you interpret a button with an arrow pointing to the right positioned at the bottom of a set of fields in a multi-step process? Regardless of what the informative understanding documentation says, instructions come in many shapes and sizes (no pun intended).
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> Just like instructions in the real world such as pointing, waving, a flick of the head in a particular direction, being textual is not a necessary condition for being instructive.
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> That is, an instruction is something whose intention is to get people to do something particular whether it is a fifty-page manual, symbol, sign, or the spoken word.
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> As an aside, the usage of the word ‘descriptive’ should really be reconsidered for future W3 accessibility guidelines as it has connotations that - in English, at least - are perhaps unwelcome, most notably ‘descriptive’ in the sense of being ‘detailed’ or ‘expressive’.
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> I’d be interested to know whether this connotation exists in languages other than English.
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> From: Michael Livesey <mike.j.livesey@gmail.com<mailto:mike.j.livesey@gmail.com>>
> Sent: Saturday, August 3, 2024 9:43 PM
> To: Ricky Onsman <ronsman@tpgi.com<mailto:ronsman@tpgi.com>>
> Cc: Ms J <ms.jflz.woop@gmail.com<mailto:ms.jflz.woop@gmail.com>>; w3c-wai-ig@w3.org<mailto:w3c-wai-ig@w3.org>
> Subject: Re: Animation conveying information
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> Hmm, I think your wide definition of "instructions" would be difficult uphold.
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> The understanding text of 1.3.3 defines instructions as a "description" that doesn't rely on shape/location. e.g click the round green button below to continue.
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> A pulsing button with no instruction is certainly drawing attention to itself, but I would argue that it has no instruction as to it's meaning per se. For instance, if I saw a pulsing button, I wouldn't think, yep, that's how to submit this form.
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> On Saturday, August 3, 2024, Ricky Onsman <ronsman@tpgi.com<mailto:ronsman@tpgi.com>> wrote:
>> Michael,
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>> You’re assuming instructions can only be given in text. That’s not the case here. The pulsing change of size itself is providing the instructions, as Ms J says “to show that you must click a button next, the button pulses”.
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>> The normative requirement to “not rely solely on sensory characteristics of components such as shape, color, size, visual location, orientation, or sound” is not limited to text.
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>> Ricky
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>> From: Michael Livesey <mike.j.livesey@gmail.com<mailto:mike.j.livesey@gmail.com>>
>> Sent: Saturday, August 3, 2024 4:37 PM
>> To: Ricky Onsman <ronsman@tpgi.com<mailto:ronsman@tpgi.com>>
>> Cc: Ms J <ms.jflz.woop@gmail.com<mailto:ms.jflz.woop@gmail.com>>; w3c-wai-ig@w3.org<mailto:w3c-wai-ig@w3.org>
>> Subject: Re: Animation conveying information
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>> You don't often get email from mike.j.livesey@gmail.com<mailto:mike.j.livesey@gmail.com>. Learn why this is important
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>> CAUTION:EXTERNAL EMAIL SENDER!
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>> I think 1.3.3 applies to the instructions rather than the control itself? So it would only fail 1.3.3 if there was an instruction that read - "Please click the pulsing button to proceed".
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>> If there were no instructions, or the instruction read - "Please click the pulsing button labelled Next", it would pass.
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>> On Sat, Aug 3, 2024 at 2:25 AM Ricky Onsman <ronsman@tpgi.com<mailto:ronsman@tpgi.com>> wrote:
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>> Ms J,
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>> Since it’s relying solely on a change of size to convey information, I’d suggest 1.3.3 Sensory Characteristics applies.
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>> Cheers,
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>> Ricky
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>> From: Ms J <ms.jflz.woop@gmail.com<mailto:ms.jflz.woop@gmail.com>>
>> Sent: Saturday, August 3, 2024 4:37 AM
>> To: Steve Green <steve.green@testpartners.co.uk<mailto:steve.green@testpartners.co.uk>>; w3c-wai-ig@w3.org<mailto:w3c-wai-ig@w3.org>
>> Subject: Re: Animation conveying information
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>> You don't often get email from ms.jflz.woop@gmail.com<mailto:ms.jflz.woop@gmail.com>. Learn why this is important
>>
>> CAUTION:EXTERNAL EMAIL SENDER!
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>> Hi all
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>> Thank you for replying. For clarity, I have already noted the nonconformance for pause, stop, hide. However, I don't feel this is sufficient alone (in response to the my direct email replies) because even if they provide a mechanism so that it can be paused, say, that still doesn't solve the problem that there is no alternative for screen reader users.
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>> Colour isn't used as a means of conveying any information so use of colour doesn't come into it.
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>> The animation is simply the button transitioning smoothly between a small and big size so it prompts users to interact with it by 'pulsing' - I guess something similar visually would be the way apple programmes you have open on a mac jump up and down at you from the bottom ribbon to tell you you have a notification.
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>> So my question really is when I suggest it needs an alternative for screen reader users, what SC would I align it with?
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>> I could consider motion a state and therefore fail it for 1.3.1 and 4.1.2 as you suggest Steve. But then I have a follow up question. So I also have other animated content on the website. So there is an image of a pointing finger which moves to indicate what to click. This image has no text alternative. Would you then fail it for 1.1.1 and 1.3.1 and 4.1.2? I feel like that makes sense, but I believe 4.1.2 only applies to user interface controls not images? So then I couldn't fail all animated content in the same way for the same...  it leads to the problem where motion is a state for a UI control, but not for an image?
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>> Does the fact it's animated make it time based media? It's position is dependent on time so it feels like time based media? Like video only content? I'm thinking of 1.2.1, but appreciate it doesn't really feel like it fits.
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>> Thanks
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>> Sarah
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>> Sent from Outlook for iOS
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>> ________________________________
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>> From: Steve Green <steve.green@testpartners.co.uk<mailto:steve.green@testpartners.co.uk>>
>> Sent: Friday, August 2, 2024 7:08 PM
>> To: Ms J <ms.jflz.woop@gmail.com<mailto:ms.jflz.woop@gmail.com>>; w3c-wai-ig@w3.org<mailto:w3c-wai-ig@w3.org> <w3c-wai-ig@w3.org<mailto:w3c-wai-ig@w3.org>>
>> Subject: RE: Animation conveying information
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>> It may be a non-conformance of SC 1.4.1: Use of Color if the change of colour does not have a contrast ratio of at least 3:1.
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>> Also, if the button changes from not pulsing to pulsing it would be indicating a change of state, so the information would need to be conveyed programmatically as per SC 1.3.1 and 4.1.2.
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>> It may also be a non-conformance of SC 2.3.1: Three Flashes or Below Threshold and/or SC 2.2.2: Pause, Stop, Hide.
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>> Steve Green
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>> Managing Director
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>> Test Partners Ltd
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>> From: Ms J <ms.jflz.woop@gmail.com<mailto:ms.jflz.woop@gmail.com>>
>> Sent: Friday, August 2, 2024 5:11 PM
>> To: w3c-wai-ig@w3.org<mailto:w3c-wai-ig@w3.org>
>> Subject: Animation conveying information
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>> Hello
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>> This is maybe niche and something I haven't seen before. I have a website which uses animation to convey information. For example, to show that you must click a button next, the button pulses. This is information conveyed by movement. It isn't really time based media and it isn't really non-text content... it is animation/movement used to convey instruction.
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>> What SC would you align this with please? It is almost sensory characteristics but the instruction is implicit in the animation....
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>> It needs an alternative for people who can't perceive the animation, would this be 1.1.1? Or 1.2.1?
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>> Thanks
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>> Sarah
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>> Sent from Outlook for iOS