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Re: ARIA difficult for non-screenreader users?

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From: Jared Smith
Date: May 13, 2013 6:14AM

On Mon, May 13, 2013 at 4:41 AM, Alastair Campbell wrote:

> I'm investigating an issue where keyboard users (including voice
> recognition) are struggling with tabs / accordion interactions implemented
> using WAI-ARIA.

As ARIA is new for developers, the interaction model it prescribes may
be new for users also. In the long run, if developers implement its
standard interactions and when users figure this out, it will be
great. In the meantime, education is needed for both groups.

I do think it's important that we remember that the last letter of the
ARIA acronym is "Applications". ARIA focuses on efficiencies of
accessibility that are great for the 1000th time someone uses your
application, but that might be new and difficult the 1st time they use
it. A tab panel is perhaps not a very good interaction for anyone on a
homepage, for example, that the user is not likely to use repeatedly.

> Is there a problem with allowing for both? I.e. make the other tab-labels
> standard links, which you can tab to and press enter to activate?

This would defeat the purpose of providing an ARIA tab panel. By not
following the interaction model, you are helping ensure that future
interactions with tab panels built to the spec will cause frustration
and difficulty.

A tooltip, perhaps only on early or first-time interactions, to
indicate how the tab panel works may be helpful.

Jared