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Re: Actionable roles vs behaviors

for

From: Birkir R. Gunnarsson
Date: Jun 19, 2017 5:47PM

Jannifer
WE totally agree )I briefly mentioned this edge case in my response,
(which could have been worded better).
This is why I have started recommending that the assistive technology
representation of an element be consistent with its visual
presentation rather than with the out-of-the-box functionality of the
underlying element).
IN other words, if it is a link styled to look like a button, give it
a role of button regardless of whether activating it executes an
action or navigates.
If there is a mismatch between the element's appearance (to regular
users and assistive technology user) and its expected functionality,
file a usability issue, (or a minor case under WCAG 4.1.2 depending on
the element, the function, and the user expectation for that element).

I started out in the "go with the functionality" band camp before the
aforementioned CSUN panel, but the more I worked on examples and
thought about them, the more I felt that the assistive technology
presentation of an element should match its visual appearance.



On 6/19/17, Jennifer Sutton < <EMAIL REMOVED> > wrote:
> I'll toss out one idea folks may wish to consider when trying to decide
> link or button.
>
>
> I was vigorously informed that this was an "edge case" when I tried to
> make this point on Twitter, so if you think it is, you're welcome to do
> so. But I don't happen to, and I'd prefer to avoid another debate. Tia. :)
>
>
> One circumstance where this can matter is when a screen reader user with
> vision issues needs to talk about the UI with customer service, their
> sighted colleague(s) in the work place, etc. It can be very confusing if
> a sighted person is saying to activate the "blah" button, and I am
> looking for that quickly with my button command, but it's not marked up
> as such. Folks may dismiss this as a little thing, but when you're
> trying to follow phone directions, or learn something for your job,
> communication issues can really slow things down. Sure, I can do a
> "search" on the screen to try to find the text for the link/button
> label, but that doesn't always work (even if we might wish it would).
>
>
> Whether or not this kind of thing is an "edge case" depends on your use
> case(s)/user stories. Thanks for reading and considering.
>
> My aim in responding is simply to note what I've experienced, as well as
> what I've observed others experiencing.
>
> I don't believe there is an easy solution.
>
> But I do believe that folks who do functional testing with real users of
> screen readers and text input may be gathering some very interesting
> information about this topic.
>
>
>
> Best,
>
> Jennifer
>
>
>
> > > > >


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