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Re: click here?

for

From: Jo Miller
Date: Sep 4, 2001 10:43AM

Kynn,
I am sorry that you misunderstood me; let me clarify. Please note
that I never said it was an accessibility problem, nor did I suggest
that non-mouse users are too stupid to know what is meant by "click
here". I would, however, like to see a move away from device-specific
language in general, for a number of reasons. One of these reasons is
that language choices tend to reveal and reinforce our
assumptions--in this case, the assumption that the web is something
we access with a graphical browser and mouse. Designers who think
about device independence when choosing their language are more
likely to think about device independence in general, and (one hopes)
more likely to avoid language and design choices that do present
accessibility barriers (such as instructing users to "click the image
at the top right"). As for hurt feelings, I don't believe non-mouse
users are lying awake crying over the slight, but I do think that
exclusive (that is, unnecessarily device-specific) language like
"click here" sends a number of subtle messages to the user, none of
them good.
Jo
At 9:02 -0700 9/4/01, Kynn Bartlett wrote:
>At 08:39 AM 9/4/2001 , Jo Miller wrote:
>>"View map" would be sufficient and preferable, in my opinion. The
>>words "click here" are not necessary, and in any case it is wise to
>>avoid device-specific language (remember, there are many devices
>>that people can use to browse the web, and not everyone follows
>>links by "clicking" with a mouse).
>
>I agree that "click here" isn't good for hypertext reasons, but I
>am very very very worried about the idea that it's somehow an
>accessibility problem because "many people don't click." At best
>it's a "you might hurt my feelings because I'm left out" problem,
>but I think even that's wrong.
>
>There's nothing inherently "mouse-ist" about "click here". It
>doesn't say "click here with your mouse". You can "click" with a
>pointer of another kind, with a keyboard (my keys click, don't
>yours?), and with anything else. A "click" in web parliance really
>just means "select this link", and it turns out that pretty much
>everyone who uses the web can understand exactly what it means.
>People with keyboards don't sit there saying, "'Click here???' What
>in the world? I have no mouse!"
>
>In fact, it's pretty much become a case that "click here" is more
>slang than technical instruction. It means "follow this link" not
>"click on your mouse button."
>
>Therefore, I think it's safe to say "click" without fears of being
>"device specific." A link that _only_ says "click here" is bad
>for other reasons, but not for the reason that "not everyone clicks".
>
>--Kynn
>
>--
>Kynn Bartlett < <EMAIL REMOVED> > http://kynn.com/
>Technical Developer Liaison, Reef http://www.reef.com/
>Chief Technologist, Idyll Mountain Internet http://idyllmtn.com/
>Online Instructor, Accessible Web Design http://kynn.com/+d201
--
Jo Miller
<EMAIL REMOVED>