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Re: accesskey

for

From: Denis Boudreau
Date: Nov 5, 2010 9:18AM

Hello,


On 2010-11-05, at 9:35 AM, Birkir Rúnar Gunnarsson wrote:

> Hey gentlemen
>
> What is the reasoning behind providing an AccessKey for search?

The reasoning behind providing an accesskey for search is pretty much summed up as a quick shortcut to get focus on that field. Nothing more.

It's not necessarily intended for screen readers users so much (who could jump to the next form easily), but more for keyboard users (who would have to tab their way through the interface).



> Also, keep in mind an AccessKey could cause problems for the screen
> reader user if it clashes with a screen reader specific function key,
> though I have never had an issue with this personally.

Yes, conflicting keys should always be a concern, which is why the community kinda determined those keys as the "safer ones", though we can never know for sure.


> I think well thought out and sparsely used AccessKeys that make sense
> in the context and are placed on web sites that users are likely to
> frequent (such as email, work web sites, libraries perhaps etc) are an
> accessibility improvement, but in general I would recommend making
> maximum use of lists, headings and tables for quick page navigation
> and layout.

Couldn't agree more.

But it doesn't mean that in certain contexts, all these options can't work together to provide a better user experience.

Best regards,


--
Denis Boudreau
<EMAIL REMOVED>








> Thanks
> -Birkir
>
>
> On 11/5/10, Denis Boudreau < <EMAIL REMOVED> > wrote:
>> Hi Bruna,
>>
>> We've asked ourselves the same question as we were developing the
>> accessibility standards up north in Quebec[1]. Accesskey have always been a
>> matter of religion: people are usually either for or against them.
>>
>> Given the discoverability issues related to accesskeys and the fact that an
>> organization just cannot expect its users to learn/remember the special keys
>> reserved on every website they visit, we decided that accesskeys would not
>> be allowed on public websites at all.
>>
>> However, on intranets or applications (where people were expected to use
>> them on a regular, if not daily basis), then accesskeys can certainly prove
>> useful because users might be tempted to learn and remember them in order to
>> improve their efficiency.
>>
>> Same logic went for multimedia players, because we expect to offer a
>> standardized player for every government agency or organization. Relying on
>> the same player and making sure it uses control keys can and actually
>> proves, to be useful.
>>
>> We recommended using the following, which have always been consensually
>> approved:
>>
>> 1 = Homepage
>> 3 = Site map
>> 4 = Search
>> 9 = Contact Us
>> 0 = Accessibility
>> s = Skip link
>>
>> No recommendations were provided as of yet regarding a multimedia player.
>>
>> Hoping this helps.
>>
>> [1] http://www.msg.gouv.qc.ca/normalisation/standards/accessibilite/
>> --
>> Denis Boudreau
>> <EMAIL REMOVED>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> On 2010-11-05, at 8:52 AM, Bruna Poletto Salton wrote:
>>
>>> Hi everyone,
>>>
>>> I always read all the messages from this list, but this is the first time
>>> I'm actually asking something.
>>>
>>> I'm Brazilian and I'm working on the brazilian government accessibility
>>> guidelines. We are not really sure if we should recommend the use of
>>> accesskey in the brazilian government websites. Do people really use the
>>> given shortcuts? Do they really work well?
>>>
>>> Thanks!!
>>>
>>> --
>>> Bruna Poletto Salton
>>> Projeto Acessibilidade Virtual da RENAPI | Núcleo Bento Gonçalves
>>> (Virtual Accessibility Project)
>>> www.bento.ifrs.edu.br/acessibilidade
>>> (55) (54) 3455 3219
>>>