[ guidelines]
Evaluation outline by Harvey Bingham <hbingham@acm.org> 19990901
Copyright © 1999
W3C® (MIT, INRIA, Keio), All Rights Reserved. W3C
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The non-visual or dual-mode browser p w WebSpeak is provided by
Browser p w WebSpeak provides both text-to-speech rendering and an enlarged and augmented visual text presentation. It is designed specifically to interact directly with the information on the Web pages and to translate the information content into speech. The user may navigate through the structure of a document based on its coontents, paragraphs, and sentences, rather than having to deal with scrolling and interpreting a structured screen display.
This evaluation checklist outline is as far as Harvey Bingham got in his attempt to apply the checklist from an appendix to the draft W3C "User Agent Accessibility Guidelines 1.0 dated 199908". I have restyled the checklist as Jim Thatcher did with IBM Home Page Reader. That styling altered the table columns:
| Column | Caption | Content |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | # | Checkpoint number, linked to source guideline |
| 2 | [Category] | Checkpoint description |
| 3 | P | Priority of checkpoint |
| 4 | Rate | Ranking: Y=Yes, N=No, N/A=Not Applicable |
| 5 | Comment | Observation about checkpoint or its applicability |
In the following tables are my evaluation of p w WebSpeak to the list of all checkpoints from the User Agent Accessibility Guidelines 1.0, organized by concept. Please refer to the Guidelines document for introductory information, information about related documents, a glossary of terms, and more.
This document is based on the checklist from the draft source document at the time of its publication. Other documents may supersede that document. The latest status of that document series is maintained at the W3C.
The intent of this document is both to assess p w WebSpeak and the checklist, Comments in the evaluation indicate issues that may need clarification in future versions of the checklist or the User Agent Guidelines.
It is inappropriate to use W3C Working Drafts as reference material or to cite them as other than "work in progress". This is work in progress and does not imply endorsement by, or the consensus of, either W3C or Members of the WAI User Agent (UA) Working Group.
Please send comments about this document to the public mailing list: w3c-wai-ua@w3.org.
Each checkpoint in this document is assigned a priority that indicates its importance for users.
| # | In General (Priority 1) | P | Rate | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.1 | Ensure that the user has access to document content, including alternative representations of content. | 1 | Yes | |
| 3.2 | For dependent user agents only. Ensure that the user has access to the content of an element selected by the user. | 1 | N/A | |
| 3.3 | Render content according to natural language identification. For unsupported natural languages, notify the user of language changes when configured to do so. | 1 | Yes | English, Italian, Swedish, Japanese, Finnish, Spanish, etc. |
| 4.5 | Allow the user to turn on and off rendering of continuous equivalent tracks (e.g., closed captions, auditory descriptions, video of sign language, etc.) | 1 | Yes | |
| 12.1 | Provide a version of the product documentation that conforms to the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines. | 1 | Yes | |
| 12.2 | Ensure that all user agent functionalities that promote accessibility are documented. | 1 | Yes | |
| # | User Interface (Priority 1) | P | Rate | Comment |
| 4.6 | Allow the user to turn on and off animated or blinking text. | 1 | N/A | |
| 4.7 | Allow the user to turn on and off animations and blinking images. | 1 | N/A | |
| 4.9 | Allow the user to turn on and off support for user style sheets. | 1 | Yes | Supports PW version of audio style sheets, functionally equivalent but not compatible with ACSS |
| 4.10 | Allow the user to turn on and off support for author style sheets. | 1 | ||
| 4.11 | Allow the user to turn on and off support for spawned windows. | 1 | N/A | |
| 5.1 | Allow the user to control font family. | 1 | Yes | |
| 5.2 | Allow the user to control the size of text. | 1 | Yes | |
| 5.3 | Allow the user to control foreground color. | 1 | Yes | |
| 5.4 | Allow the user to control background color. | 1 | Yes | |
| 5.5 | Allow the user to control selection highlighting (e.g., foreground and background color). | 1 | No | Function of Foreground/Background Color |
| 5.6 | Allow the user to control focus highlighting (e.g., foreground and background color). | 1 | No | Function of Foreground/Background Color |
| 5.14 | Allow the user to control synthesized speech playback rate. | 1 | Yes | |
| 5.15 | Allow the user to control synthesized speech playback volume. | 1 | Yes | |
| 8.1 | Allow the user to navigate viewports (including frames). | 1 | Yes | Select Frame to view |
| 8.2 | For user agents that offer a browsing history mechanism, when the user returns to a previous view, restore the point of regard in the viewport. | 1 | Yes | |
| 9.1 | Provide a mechanism for highlighting and identifying (through a standard interface where available) the current viewport, selection, and focus. | 1 | Yes | Where Am I key |
| # | Keyboard Support (Priority 1) | P | Rate | Comment |
| 2.1 | By default and without additional customization, ensure that all functionalities offered by the user agent may be operated through the standard keyboard API supported by the operating system./TD> | 1 | Yes | |
| 2.2 | Provide documentation on default keyboard commands and include with user agent documentation and/or user help system. | 1 | Yes | |
| 2.3 | Provide information to the user about the current keyboard configuration. | 1 | Yes | |
| # | Device Independence (Priority 1) | P | Rate | Comment |
| 1.1 | Ensure that all functionalities offered through the user interface may be operated through standard input device APIs supported by the operating system. | 1 | Yes | |
| 1.2 | Ensure that the user can interact with all active elements of a document in a device independent manner. | 1 | Yes | |
| 1.3 | Ensure that the user can install the user agent software in a device independent manner. | 1 | Yes | |
| 1.4 | Ensure that the user can configure the user agent in a device independent manner. | 1 | Yes | |
| 1.5 | Ensure that the user can access user agent documentation in a device independent manner. | 1 | Yes | |
| 1.6 | Ensure that all messages to the user (e.g., warnings, errors, etc.) are available through standard output device APIs supported by the operating system. | 1 | Yes | Most messages are audio |
| # | For Tables (Priority 1) | P | Rate | Comment |
| 8.3 | For dependent user agents only. Allow the user to navigate just among table cells of a table (notably left and right within a row and up and down within a column). | 1 | N/A | Can navigate from row to row, cell to cell |
| 9.9 | For dependent user agents only. Provide access to header information for a selected table cell. | 1 | N/A | |
| # | For Images, Animations, and Image Maps (Priority 1) | P | Rate | Comment |
| 4.1 | Allow the user to turn on and off rendering of images. | 1 | Yes | Images displayed upon request |
| 4.2 | Allow the user to turn on and off rendering of background images. | 1 | No | Not supported |
| For Synchronized Multimedia (Priority 1) | P | Rate | Comment | |
| 3.4 | Provide time-independent access to time-dependent active elements or allow the user to control the timing of changes. | 1 | Yes | |
| 3.7 | Allow the user to specify that description tracks (e.g., caption, auditory description, video of sign language, etc.) be rendered at the same time as audio and video tracks. | 1 | No | Not Supported |
| 3.8 | If a technology allows for more than one description track (e.g., caption, auditory description, video of sign language, etc.), allow the user to choose from among the tracks. | 1 | No | Not Supported |
| 3.9 | If a technology allows for more than one audio track, allow the user to choose from among tracks. | 1 | No | Not Supported |
| 4.3 | Allow the user to turn on and off rendering of video. | 1 | Yes | On demand, audio only displayed |
| 4.4 | Allow the user to turn on and off rendering of sound. | 1 | Yes | On demand |
| 5.8 | Allow the user to control video frame rates. | 1 | No | |
| 5.9 | Allow the user to control the position of audio captions. | 1 | No | |
| 5.11 | Allow the user to control audio playback rate. | 1 | Yes | In Daisy Audio (if codec supports it) |
| # | For Events, Applets, and Scripts (Priority 1) | P | Rate | Comment |
| 4.8 | Allow the user to turn on and off support for scripts and applets. | 1 | No | Applets and scripts not supported |
| 10.1 | Provide information about content and viewport changes (to users and through programming interfaces). | 1 | Yes-No | Page Load Events announced to user, no API support |
| # | For Standards and Conventions (Priority 1) | P | Rate | Comment |
| 6.1 | Use and provide accessible interfaces to other technologies. | 1 | Yes | Multiple Speech APIs supported |
| 6.2 | Provide programmatic read and write access to user agent functionalities and user interface controls (including selection and focus) by using operating system and development language accessibility resources and conventions. | 1 | No | |
| 6.3 | Notify dependent user agents of changes to the document and user interface controls (including selection and focus) by using operating system and development language accessibility resources and conventions. | 1 | No | Does function with Screen Readers, though |
| 6.4 | Comply with W3C Document Object Model specifications and export interfaces defined by those specifications. | 1 | No | Internal DOM does not conform to W3C |
| 7.1 | Implement the accessibility features defined for supported specifications. | 1 |
| # | In General (Priority 2) | P | Rate | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 | When no alternative text representation has been specified, indicate what type of object is present. | 2 | Yes | |
| 8.4 | Allow the user to navigate just among all active elements. | 2 | Yes | |
| 8.5 | Allow the user to search for rendered text content, including alternative text content. | 2 | Yes | |
| 8.6 | Allow the user to navigate according to the structure of the resource. | 2 | Yes | |
| 9.4 | Describe a selected element's position within larger structures (e.g., numerical or relative position in a document, table, list, etc.). | 2 | Yes | |
| 12.3 | Describe product features known to promote accessibility in a section of the product documentation. | 2 | Yes | |
| # | User Interface (Priority 2) | P | Rate | Comment |
| 5.16 | Allow the user to control speech volume, pitch, gender and other articulation characteristics. | 2 | Yes | |
| 9.3 | For dependent user agents only. Allow the user to view an outline of a resource constructed from its structural elements (e.g., from header and list elements). | 2 | Yes | |
| 10.2 | Ensure that when the selection or focus changes, it is in the viewport after the change. | 2 | Yes | |
| 11.1 | Allow the user to configure the user agent in named profiles that may be shared (by other users or software). | 2 | Yes | Through user directories |
| # | Keyboard Support (Priority 2) | P | Rate | Comment |
| 2.4 | Allow the user to configure the keystrokes used to activate user agent functionalities. Users should be able to configure single key activation of functionalities. | 2 | Yes | |
| 2.5 | Allow the user to turn on and off author-specified keyboard configurations. | 2 | N/A | |
| 2.6 | Use platform conventions to indicate which keys activate which user agent functionalities. | 2 | Yes | |
| 2.7 | Avoid default keyboard configurations that interfere with system conventions. | 2 | Yes | |
| # | For Links (Priority 2) | P | Rate | Comment |
| 9.5 | For a selected link, indicate whether following the link will involve a fee. | 2 | No | |
| 9.6 | For a selected link, provide information to help the user decide whether to follow the link. | 2 | No | Do allow review of URL |
| # | For Frames (Priority 2) | P | Rate | Comment |
| 4.12 | Allow the user to choose between a frameset or its alternative supplied by the author. | 2 | No | Lists frames as links, noframes content |
| 5.17 | When new windows or user interface components are spawned, allow the user to control window size and position. | 2 | N/A | |
| 9.2 | For dependent user agents only. Provide the user with information about the number of viewports. | 2 | ||
| # | For Forms (Priority 2) | P | Rate | Comment |
| 9.11 | Provide information about form structure and navigation (e.g., groups of controls, control labels, navigation order, and keyboard configuration). | 2 | Yes | |
| 10.6 | Prompt the user to confirm any form submission triggered indirectly, that is by any means other than the user activating an explicit form submit control. | 2 | No | |
| # | For Images, Animations, and Image Maps (Priority 2) | P | Rate | Comment |
| 5.7 | Allow the user to control animation rate. | 2 | N/A | |
| 9.5 | For a selected link, indicate whether following the link will involve a fee. | 2 | No | |
| # | For Synchronized Multimedia (Priority 2) | P | Rate | Comment |
| 5.10 | Allow the user to start, stop, pause, and rewind video. | 2 | Yes | |
| 5.12 | When the user agent renders audio natively, allow the user to control the audio volume. | 2 | Yes | |
| 5.13 | Allow the user to start, stop, pause, and rewind audio. | 2 | Yes | |
| 9.5 | For a selected link, indicate whether following the link will involve a fee. | 2 | No | |
| # | For Frames (Priority 2) | P | Rate | Comment |
| 4.12 | Allow the user to turn on and off rendering of frames. | 2 | No | |
| 5.16 | When new windows or user interface components are spawned, allow the user to control window size and position. | 2 | No | |
| 9.2 | For dependent user agents only. Provide the user with information about the number of viewports. | 2 | No | |
| # | For Forms (Priority 2) | P | Rate | Comment |
| 9.10 | Provide the user with access to any label explicitly associated with a form control. | 2 | No | |
| 10.6 | Prompt the user to confirm any form submission not explicitly initiated by the user. | 2 | No | |
| # | For Images, Animations, and Image Maps (Priority 2) | P | Rate | Comment |
| 5.7 | Allow the user to control animation rate. | 2 | No | |
| # | For Synchronized Multimedia (Priority 2) | P | Rate | Comment |
| 5.10 | Allow the user to start, stop, pause, and rewind video. | 2 | Yes | |
| 5.12 | When the user agent renders audio natively, allow the user to control the audio volume. | 2 | Yes | |
| 5.13 | Allow the user to start, stop, pause, and rewind audio. | 2 | Yes | |
| # | For Standards and Conventions (Priority 2) | P | Rate | Comment |
| 6.5 | Provide programmatic exchange of information in a timely manner. | 2 | No | |
| 6.6 | Follow operating system conventions and accessibility settings. In particular, follow conventions for user interface design, default keyboard configuration, product installation, and documentation. | 2 | Yes | |
| 7.2 | Support appropriate W3C Recommendations. | 2 | Yes |
| # | In General (Priority 3) | P | Rate | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.6 | When alternative text has been specified explicitly as empty (i.e., an empty string), render nothing. | 3 | Yes | |
| 8.7 | Allow the user to configure structured navigation. | 3 | Yes | |
| 9.8 | Provide a mechanism for highlighting and identifying (through a standard interface where available) active elements. | 3 | Yes | |
| 10.4 | When loading a resource (e.g., document, video clip, audio clip, etc.) indicate what portion of the resource has loaded and whether loading has stalled. | 3 | Yes | |
| 10.5 | Indicate the relative position of the viewport in a resource (e.g., the percentage of the document that has been viewed, the percentage of an audio clip that has been played, etc.). | 3 | Yes | |
| # | User Interface (Priority 3) | P | Rate | Comment |
| 4.13 | Allow the user to turn on and off author-specified page forwards that occur after a time delay and without user intervention. | 3 | No | Always prompt user |
| 4.14 | Allow the user to turn on and off automatic page refresh. | 3 | No | User action |
| 9.12 | Maintain consistent user agent behavior and default configurations between software releases. Consistency is less important than accessibility and adoption of system conventions. | 3 | Yes | |
| 11.2 | Allow the user to configure the graphical arrangement of user interface controls. | 3 | No | |
| # | Keyboard Support (Priority 3) | P | Rate | Comment |
| 2.8 | Allow the user to configure what information about links to present. | 3 | Yes | |
| # | For Links (Priority 3) | P | Rate | Comment |
| 9.7 | Allow the user to configure what information about links to present. | 3 | Yes | |
| # | For Tables (Priority 3) | P | Rate | Comment |
| 9.10 | For dependent user agents only. Indicate the row and column dimensions of a selected table. | 3 | No | |
| # | For Events, Applets, and Scripts (Priority 3) | P | Rate | Comment |
| 10.3 | Allow the user to selectively turn on and off notification of common types of document and viewport changes. | 3 | No | Always On |
[ guidelines]