Thread Subject: Shape, size, location

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From: Andi Snow-Weaver
Date: Tue, Aug 14 2007 2:55 PM
Subject: Shape, size, location

I took an action item at today's meeting to try to simplify the note in
this provision:

Instructions provided for understanding information and operating user
interfaces do not rely on shape, size, visual location, or orientation of
components.

* Note: Additional information for use by assistive technologies - such
as alternate text to describe necessary visual cues, or programmatic
encoding of relationships between objects that is necessary for
understanding and operating the content - is sufficient.

The objective is to make it less verbose and to refer to the provisions
related to object information.

Proposal: Object information provided per the "Information and
Relationships", "User Interface Components", or "AT interoperability"
provision that describes the necessary visual cues or relationships is
sufficient.

Andi

From: Gregg Vanderheiden
Date: Tue, Aug 14 2007 3:25 PM
Subject: Re: Shape, size, location

Hmmm

Don't think that works. You could easily provide information in all those
places and still not fulfill this provision. (if you did - the provision
wouldn't be necessary since it would be covered by meeting the other
provisions). I think we are just trying to say that those mechanisms can be
used to convey information that should be considered part of the
instructions. If that information give the person what they need - then OK.
But if the instructions were "The round button is the preferred method for
accomplishing this" or "all buttons are optional except the round one" the
object and alternate text would not necessarily help the person if they gave
no clue as to what was round.


Maybe something like

NOTE: Information that is available programmatically (e.g. via object
information or text alternatives) can be considered part of the
'instructions' that are available to the user.


Gregg
-- ------------------------------
Gregg C Vanderheiden Ph.D.



> -----Original Message-----
> From: = EMAIL ADDRESS REMOVED =
> [mailto: = EMAIL ADDRESS REMOVED = ] On Behalf
> Of Andi Snow-Weaver
> Sent: Tuesday, August 14, 2007 3:49 PM
> To: = EMAIL ADDRESS REMOVED =
> Subject: [teitac-websoftware] Shape, size, location
>
>
> I took an action item at today's meeting to try to simplify
> the note in this provision:
>
> Instructions provided for understanding information and
> operating user interfaces do not rely on shape, size, visual
> location, or orientation of components.
>
> * Note: Additional information for use by assistive
> technologies - such as alternate text to describe necessary
> visual cues, or programmatic encoding of relationships
> between objects that is necessary for understanding and
> operating the content - is sufficient.
>
> The objective is to make it less verbose and to refer to the
> provisions related to object information.
>
> Proposal: Object information provided per the "Information
> and Relationships", "User Interface Components", or "AT
> interoperability"
> provision that describes the necessary visual cues or
> relationships is sufficient.
>
> Andi
>
>

From: Andi Snow-Weaver
Date: Tue, Aug 14 2007 4:25 PM
Subject: Re: Shape, size, location

> I think we are just trying to say that those mechanisms can be
used to convey information that should be considered part of the
instructions. If that information give the person what they need - then
OK.

Gregg,

That's what I was trying to do with the phrase " that describes the
necessary visual cues or relationships is sufficient." Isn't that giving
the person what they need? a description of the necessary visual cues or
relationships.

Andi

From: Andi Snow-Weaver
Date: Wed, Aug 15 2007 6:30 AM
Subject: Re: Shape, size, location

> I think we are just trying to say that those mechanisms can be
used to convey information that should be considered part of the
instructions. If that information give the person what they need - then
OK.

Gregg,

That's what I was trying to do with the phrase " that describes the
necessary visual cues or relationships is sufficient." Isn't that giving
the person what they need? a description of the necessary visual cues or
relationships.

Andi