Beyond Web Accessibility: Providing A Holistic User Experience

Brian KellyUKOLNUniversity of BathBath

Lawrie PhippsJISC TechDis ServiceYork

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Where Are We Now?Current status on Web accessibility:

• Widespread awareness within institutional Web management community

• Widespread support for implementation • Sharing of approaches, discussions, etc.

But:• Implementation challenges• Lack of clarity of what exactly we should do• Still ambiguities (cf DRC report)• Have things changes since WAI WCAG 1.0

released?

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Accessibility SurveySurvey of UK HEI home pages carried out in August 2002 and repeated in June 2004Used Bobby – so only objective criteria measuredFindings 2002 2004WAI AA compliant 3 7WAI A compliant 70 93

Reminder: this is probably an over-estimate of compliance. Problems which can only be spotted with manual detection can reduce these figures.Also note that this is just the home page – not the entire Web site!

See <http://www.ukoln.ac.uk/web-focus/events/workshops/webmaster-2004/talks/phipps-kelly/survey/>

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What Can We Conclude?What can we conclude from the lack of WAI WCAG AAA compliance and small percentage of AA compliance:

• The community doesn't care about Web accessibility

• WCAG AAA and AA compliance is difficult to achieve (even on a single, high profile page)

• There are other issues to consider

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WAI WCAG AA and AAAIn order to achieve WAI WCAG AA compliance:

• Avoid deprecated features (e.g. FONT)• Use W3C technologies when available and

appropriate (no Flash, MS Word or PowerPoint)• .. use the latest versions [of W3C formats] • Create documents that validate to published formal

grammars (i.e. HTML must be valid)In order to achieve WAI WCAG AAA compliance:

• Provide information so that users may receive documents according to their preferences (i.e. markup language)

• Specify document collections with the LINK element and "rel" and "rev"

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Concerns Over WAI WCAGGuidelines Too Theoretical

• Some WCAG guidelines appear theoretical• WCAG seeks to promote W3C standards (including

new ones) in addition to addressing mainstream accessibility issues

• Overall WAI approach is dependent on content, authoring tools and user agent guidelines – the latter two are outside the remit of Web authors

Developments Outside Of W3C• WAI has succeeded in raising awareness of

accessibility – and commercial sector has responded (cf. accessibility in OS, proprietary formats, …)

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Standards Or GuidelinesAre WAI's Web Content Accessibility Guidelines:

• Pragmatic and much needed guidelines which can help authors to make Web pages more accessible

• To be interpreted and applied sensibly or:

• Mandatory standards which must be implemented in order to (a) claim WAI compliance and (b) abide with legislation

• No room for interpretation

11.1 Use W3C technologies when they are available and appropriate for a task and use the latest versions when supported. [Priority 2]

Use GIF images or FONT tags? Use HTML 4.0? HTML validation errors? WAI A is best you can achieve!

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WAI WCAG FlawsLogical Flaws

• On 1 Aug 2002 when XHTML 1.0 released WAI AA pages became A (unless immediately upgraded)

W3C Web Site• W3C Web site is not

AA compliant

BK LP

ConclusionsIf treating WCAG as rigourous standard is flawed what should we do?

DRC Web Site• DRC Web site is not

AA compliant, despite AAA logo on home page and report still not HTML

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Why are we doing what we are doing now?• Why are we asking the question “what

standard of accessibility do we design to?” The original concept was for guidelines This translated to standards (BBSI) Many Web teams now talk of

‘compliance’

• Why? Who is driving the evolution from a guide to a requirement?

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The W3C Web User

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The Student Experience

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So what should that mean?• Pragmatism is the key• Education is a holistic experience (it not just

about the web)• Develop a policy, meet the standards, but

above all, consider all users!

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TechDis – UKOLN Approach• Recognising external

pressures e.g. funders, QAA, …

• Recognising local technical infrastructure

• Recognising material objective

• Recognising learning and teaching

Remember legislation expects organisations

to take "reasonable measures

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Conclusions• Select the guidelines / standards that mean

something to the context of the material• Work with staff needing to deliver the

material• Develop strategies that reflect flexibility in

meeting user need• Test the system against guidelines – but

prioritise users!

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QuestionsAny questions, comments, etc?