RE: American Airlines - Angy Birds

Here is another take on Angry Birds as UA.

Assume a game developer has a great idea for a game, Ambivalent Aardvarks (AA, for a reason). This developer comes from the Web space and wants to leverage existing HTML5 experience, specifically, existing code for a Canvas-based game prototype.  The developer chooses PhoneGap [1] in order to simultaneously create iOS and Android versions of the game. PhoneGap's design is based on wrapping the native WebView control from each target platform within a platform specific app framework. The developer then packages one or more HTML pages with the associated javascript, CSS, images, etc, defines a start page, and then publishes the app to the target platform. The app can access both local and remote resources.  In the case of Ambivalent Aardvarks, the game includes HTML5 video intros for each level, in-game purchases via built in access to a mobile eCommerce site, and in game advertising, displayed as either GIF or PNG, with a button to cancel the ad after a time delay, and a link to go to the advertiser's web site.  The UI is split between game functions handled directly in the HTML, and others that may utilize PhoneGap specific functions and UI to control the game session. 

In practice, I don't see this as any different from the other AA app (American Airlines), which may well be implemented using PhoneGap, uses HTML, may allow in-app purchases (tickets), and includes advertising.

Question:

1. What is the UA in the case of Angry Aardvarks?

A. The WebView Control.
B. The PhoneGap application.
C. Neither A nor B.
D. Both A and B.

2. The Angry Aardvarks developer should conform with and follow:

A. WCAG 2.0 and Mobile Web Best Practices.
B. UAAG 2.0 and Mobile Accessibility Examples from Implementing UAAG 2.0.
C. Neither A nor B.
D. Both A and B.

Mark

[1] http://www.phonegap.com

-----Original Message-----
From: Richards, Jan [mailto:jrichards@ocadu.ca] 
Sent: Thursday, June 20, 2013 9:38 AM
To: UAWG list
Subject: RE: American Airlines - Angy Birds

I don't know the architecture of angry birds, but it very well could be the following:

(1) A collection of scenarios encoded in an SVG-like "AngryBirdML" format:
<AngryBirdML>
  <birds><yellow/><red/></birds>
  <pigs><pig x y/><pig x y/></pigs>
  <structures><wood x1 y1 x2 y2/><glass x1 y1 x2 y2/></structures>
  <ground-level y/>
</AngryBirdML>
 
(2) An angry bird app that knows how to render AngryBirdML on the screen, both graphically and with a physics model (e.g. so that if the wood and glass are unsupported they will fall to the ground and break). The app facilitates user exploration (panning, pinch zoom) and interaction (pull back and launch birds) with  the scenario. 

How is this really different than an SVG User Agent? I think the difference is that there is a stronger contract between developers of the user agent and the scenarios, such that the scenario developer doesn't throw the UA curve balls, like trying to build a text edit field out of wood and pigs. :)

THAT ALL SAID, I think the constructive thing to do is to consider the Americans Airlines app and figure out which SCs in UAAG should realistically apply and aren't already covered by WCAG2 already...then we could identify these in separate conformance profile or note.

Cheers,
Jan

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Simon Harper [mailto:simon.harper@manchester.ac.uk]
> Sent: June-20-13 3:40 AM
> To: WWW UAWG
> Subject: American Airlines - Angy Birds
> 
> Hi Everyone,
> 
> So after the CG meeting yesterday - for which I had a none functioning 
> mic - I was thinking more about our American Airlines - Angry Birds 
> example. In that we think AA App is a UA while AB Game isn't. In 
> reality, I think AB Game is an app but not a user agent. Now why is 
> this? Well a UA is created from two
> words:
> 
> A *user* of a system <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/System> is a person 
> who interacts with the system, to enable its operation 
> <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation>, or to utilize its function.
> 
> 
> An *Agent* is one who acts for, or in the place of, another, by 
> authority from him; one entrusted with the business of another.
> 
> In this case, it seems clear that the AA App is acting for a user, or 
> in the place of a user, by the users' authority. A user entrusts AA App with their business.
> 
> The AB Game on the other hand does not posses these traits of being an 
> agent of the user.
> 
> I think we are having this problem due to the imprecise nature of the 
> definition of application software - 
> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Application_software
> 
> It seems to me that we are also thinking about Apps outside of our 
> definitions. So first of all is AA an UA - yes / is AB a UA - no 
> (according to the definitions above). Next, how does AA manifest - is 
> it a WebApp - yes as the UI is created by a UA rendering of HTML which 
> facilitates interactivity. Is it a mobile UA - will at this point I 
> don't know as I'm unsure as to the technology used in this case.
> 
> Cheers
> 
> --
> Si.
> 
> PS I check my email at 08:00 and 17:00 GMT. If you require a faster 
> response please include the word 'fast' in the subject line.
> 
> =======================
> Simon Harper
> My Business Card   - http://simon.harper.name/about/card/
> Schedule a Meeting - http://doodle.com/simon.harper.name
> 
> University of Manchester (UK)
> Web Ergonomics Lab - Information Management Group 
> http://wel.cs.manchester.ac.uk
> 





-----------------------------------------

This e-mail and any files transmitted with it may contain privileged or confidential information.  It is solely for use by the individual for whom it is intended, even if addressed incorrectly.  If you received this e-mail in error, please notify the sender; do not disclose, copy, distribute, or take any action in reliance on the contents of this information; and delete it fromyour system. Any other use of this e-mail is prohibited.

Thank you for your compliance.

-----------------------------------------

Received on Thursday, 20 June 2013 15:17:25 UTC