WebAIM - Web Accessibility In Mind

E-mail List Archives

Re: location of details link

for

From: Birkir R. Gunnarsson
Date: Jul 14, 2017 1:46PM

I use screen readers (but don't use screen reader users, at least not
for personal gain).
If you have a column of links with identical text (e.g. "details") you
are breaking WCAG 2.4.4 if you don't add additional context.
That is one of the reasons why placing the "details" link on the left
side of a table is a bad idea.

The leftmost column in a table should contain row header cells. Row
header cells only work for columns to the right of that column (by
work I mean are announced by screen readers).
Having a row header cell associated with the "detail" link is
sufficient context or WCAG 2.4.4

So I would place whatever is the best identifier for the result in the
first column. The details can go in the second column (if absolutely
necessary) but preferably in the column on the right.
After all, users that are interested enough in a search result twant
detail will probably look at that table fairly carefully, or you can
style the details link text to draw attention.



On 7/14/17, Angela French < <EMAIL REMOVED> > wrote:
> Hello WebAIMers,
>
> We are redesigning a web application built about 8 years ago. This time
> around we want it to be more accessible.
>
> I would be grateful for your opinion in testing out the location of a
> "details" link in a table of search results.
>
> Link to sample
> page<http://devapps.sbctc.edu/TechPrepV2/SearchArticulations>;. Please just
> click the Search button under the search filter drop down lists to ensure
> (with our limited test data) that you actually get results.
>
> The results are displayed in a 7-column table with the last column holding a
> "details" link which allows the user to see deeper details for that specific
> search results record.
>
> In our old application, the "details" link was in the first column. I
> question that position because how can a screen reader user (reading left to
> right) decide to click on details before they know what they would be seeing
> details of? My rationale in putting it on the right column is that as
> content is read from left to right, the screen reader user would know what
> they are getting details for by the time they get to the details link.
>
> My co-worker feels like the link gets lost over in the right column. I can
> understand that point of view too.
>
> Thank you for your opinions - especially from those who use screen reader
> users.
>
>
>
>
> Angela French
> Internet/Intranet Specialist
> Washington State Board for Community and Technical Colleges
> 360-704-4316
> <EMAIL REMOVED> <mailto: <EMAIL REMOVED> >
> www.sbctc.edu<;http://www.sbctc.edu/>;
>
> > > > >


--
Work hard. Have fun. Make history.