Re: New WAI website category for "user" documents?

(See Shawn's message quoted below for background).

This sounds like a useful new dynamic for WAI that could help introduce 
end users to WAI's work and perhaps encourage them to become involved or 
at least provide feedback, and to look "behind the scenes" at the 
technical work.

It needs to be made clear whether these resources are aimed directly at 
the users or at third parties who will repackage them for the users. 
Perhaps include an introductory paragraph that welcomes the user directly.

It might be useful to hide or at least demote some of the other 
navigation that an end user could see as confusing clutter.

Alternative title ideas might be "Web accessibility for users" or "What 
Web accessibility means for you" or "How can WAI help you access the Web".

Some of them, like "How People with Disabilities Use the Web" and 
"Involving Users in Web Projects for Better, Easier Accessibility" will 
not help users directly, but it might be useful to explain how they can 
be useful. For example, for the "Involving Users" document, say "If you 
are an end user, you can help improve web site accessibility by becoming 
involved in the design process". For the "How People with Disabilities 
Use the Web" document, say that it can help you understand how other 
people with similar or other disabilities use the web and are affected 
by inaccessibility.

Going beyond what Shawn asks about, perhaps the "Involving Users" 
document could address end users and explain how they can become 
involved. This could be a bridge between it and the "How to Contact 
Organizations" document. Take the "How to Contact" document a step 
further and suggest the possibility that the complainant might actually 
become involved in the organisations design process.

It could also include the "How to Change Text Size or Colors" page [1] 
and/or include a link to it in the planned "Better Web Browsing" document.

I think that it does need a top-level category or at least a prominent 
place on the home page. It should perhaps also fit into a broader effort 
across the whole of W3C, to make people aware of just who important the 
W3C's work is to them as individuals. More important will be to get 
links to this page out on other sites around the Web where people can 
find them, and that needs a clear statement of what the section is 
about, to ensure that the message is conveyed clearly.

The content should be oriented to what users are looking for, rather 
than using the document titles as section headings. Like "I want to: 
Contact and organisation with an inaccessible website; Understand how 
other people with my disability use the Web; Help improve Web site 
design; Find out how to use my browser"

Hope this helps,

Alan


[1] http://www.w3.org/WAI/changedesign.html


Shawn Henry wrote:
> We have several new documents recently published and upcoming over the 
> next few months that are for "users", including people with disabilities 
> and older users with age-related impairments.
> 
> We are considering adding a top level navigation category to the WAI 
> website information architecture. A draft of one idea is at: 
> http://www.w3.org/WAI/users/
> 
> Please reply with some quick thoughts now. We might make an initial 
> decision on *Wednesday 16 December*.
> 
> If you have time, please also send thoughts on:
> * do we want to add a top level navigation category or not?
> * if no, where should the new documents go in the current information 
> architecture?
> * if yes, which documents should go in the new category?
> * if yes, what should it be called? if you were an "average" "user", 
> what would words in the navigation would lead you to select them 
> thinking that there was material there for you?
> 
> NOTE: Please reply to wai-eo-editors@w3.org as appropriate.
> 
> Thanks for any input!
> 
> ~Shawn
> 
> 


-- 
Alan Chuter
Departamento de Usabilidad y Accesibilidad
Consultor
Technosite - Grupo Fundosa
Fundación ONCE
Tfno.: 91 121 03 30
Fax: 91 375 70 51
achuter@technosite.es
http://www.technosite.es

Received on Wednesday, 16 December 2009 08:28:10 UTC