Thread Subject: Re: Provide highly visible keyboard focus and text cursors

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From: Sean Hayes
Date: Wed, Jun 27 2007 1:20 PM

One problem I have with this wording is that at 2.5 meters most of the UI is unintelligible (although if course that depends on OS settings); so while locating the element with focus may be possible; determining what the located item is would be impossible.

For example I can locate the flashing insertion point in this text from across the room, but determining whether it is before or after the comma in this sentence eludes me.

So it seems like a very partial interpretation of locate, and I'm having a hard time understanding the user need this provision is attempting to satisfy. Perhaps the "Windows magnify with follow focus" mode is in fact a much better mechanism than drowning the item with a bright yellow triangles.

Sean Hayes
Standards and Policy Team
Corporate Accessibility Group
Microsoft
Phone:
mob +44 7977 455002
office +44 117 9719730

From: = EMAIL ADDRESS REMOVED = [mailto: = EMAIL ADDRESS REMOVED = ] On Behalf Of Gregg Vanderheiden
Sent: 27 June 2007 19:28
To: 'TEITAC Web/Software Subcommittee'
Subject: [teitac-websoftware] Provide highly visible keyboard focus and text cursors

9.2.2 Provide highly visible keyboard focus and text cursors
Software shall provide at least one mode where keyboard focus cursors and text cursors shall be visually locatable by people with unimpaired vision at 2.5 meters when software is displayed on a 38 cm (15 inch) diagonal screen at 1024 x 768 pixels resolution, without moving the cursor.
EXAMPLE 1: The software provides an option of having a thick rectangle of contrasting color that moves to and outlines the control or field that has keyboard focus.
EXAMPLE 2: The software provides an option of having bright, yellow triangles extend from the top and bottom of the text cursor.


Gregg

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