[Issue 512] Seeking lower bound on text size requirement

Chris, Martin,

The UAWG would like your input on a question of visual text
rendering and internationalization. Checkpoint 4.1 of the 9 April
2001 draft [1] starts:

  "4.1 Allow global configuration and control over the reference 
       size of rendered text ..."

This is a Priority 1 checkpoint. One reviewer pointed out that it
is not really a P1 requirement to allow the user to choose very
small text sizes. Indeed, the intention of this checkpoint is
primarily to allow users with low vision to increase text
size. [I would note here that small text is useful to some users
(e.g., so that users with screen readers can scroll less), but
that's not a P1 requirement.]

At our teleconference yesterday we asked ourselves whether we
could come up with some lower bound on the requirement. Thus,
user agents would not be required to provide access to very 
small text size as part of meeting this checkpoint (or,
for example, they might allow configuration, but not
actually be required to render very small text).

Our questions are thus:

 - How might we express a lower bound in text size? 
   What units would we use? What parameter to measure
   size (x-height? aspect ratio?)?

 - What internationalization issues enter into this
   discussion? Does a lower bound requirement 
   make sense across different scripts?

Thank you for your help on this topic,

 - Ian

Note to the Working Group: For checkpoints 4.1 and 4.2, we should
change "rendered text" to "visually rendered text" to be more
precise.

[1] http://www.w3.org/TR/2001/WD-UAAG10-20010409/
[2] http://server.rehab.uiuc.edu/ua-issues/issues-linear-lc3.html#512

-- 
Ian Jacobs (ij@w3.org)   http://www.w3.org/People/Jacobs
Tel:                     +1 831 457-2842
Cell:                    +1 917 450-8783

Received on Friday, 18 May 2001 11:21:11 UTC