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Re: Preferred mode for JAWS users?

for

From: Robert Fentress
Date: Jun 19, 2018 9:38PM

Thanks.

I guess as a sighted person who uses JAWS for testing of web pages, I want
to get as much of a feel for what the user experience is like for the
"average" person who actually needs to use the software. I'd hoped there
would be more consensus, in which case I could feel like I wouldn't have to
worry as much about testing with the less common configurations. I know
it, technically, shouldn't matter, but for custom widgets, sometimes things
seem to behave strangely (especially with IE) and, I suspect, differently
depending on the mode (could be wrong there).

I recognize the danger of naive sighted users testing with screen readers,
but I feel like I should push myself, as much as I can, to get familiar
with the software, so that I can develop appropriate intuitions about how
things "should" behave. Coding to standards is good, but actually trying
to develop widgets that are functional and usable for the broadest range of
users is better. I think that requires actual testing with AT, and we
can't afford to hire people who actually *need* to use the software on a
regular basis to do our testing, so that leaves me.

On Tue, Jun 19, 2018, 9:45 PM Birkir R. Gunnarsson <
<EMAIL REMOVED> > wrote:

> I think the more advanced the user, the more likely they are to use
> manual mode. I"m pretty sure that goes for software in general.
> Advanced users bother to change the defaults.
> I want control over when Jaws sends a click event vs. when it passes
> the keyboard events through to the browser so I go full manual.
> Don't expect your typical user to prefer that though.
> In terms of web design, you shouldn't even think about this, just
> focus on coding things correctly and let the screen reader take care
> of when to enter interactive mode vs. browse mode.
>
>
>
> On 6/19/18, Jonathan Avila < <EMAIL REMOVED> > wrote:
> >> Although Semi-Auto and Manual are still available, I'm not sure why
> anyone
> >> would prefer them.
> >
> > If you have improperly coded pages you may need to use manual or semi.
> For
> > example, an improperly coded ARIA based drop down where you want to use
> > arrow keys to move up and down in a custom list but JAWS kicks you out of
> > forms mode when down arrow is pressed. I've also run into issues with
> > getting stuck in edit fields in the past but that seems to be much
> > improved.
> >
> > Jonathan
> >
> > Jonathan Avila
> > Chief Accessibility Officer
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> >
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: WebAIM-Forum [mailto: <EMAIL REMOVED> ] On
> Behalf
> > Of Steve Green
> > Sent: Tuesday, June 19, 2018 10:22 AM
> > To: WebAIM Discussion List
> > Subject: Re: [WebAIM] Preferred mode for JAWS users?
> >
> > In all our user testing I have never seen anyone use anything other than
> > Auto Forms Mode since it was introduced in JAWS 10. Some people who used
> > JAWS prior to that might prefer Manual Forms Mode but Auto Forms Mode was
> > well received in my experience.
> >
> > Although Semi-Auto and Manual are still available, I'm not sure why
> anyone
> > would prefer them.
> >
> > Steve Green
> > Managing Director
> > Test Partners Ltd
> >
> >
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: WebAIM-Forum < <EMAIL REMOVED> > On Behalf Of
> > Robert Fentress
> > Sent: 19 June 2018 14:38
> > To: WebAIM Discussion List < <EMAIL REMOVED> >
> > Subject: [WebAIM] Preferred mode for JAWS users?
> >
> > Does anyone have a sense of what mode most JAWS users prefer: Manual
> Forms
> > Mode, Auto Forms Mode, or Semi-Auto Forms mode? I had heard a while back
> > from one JAWS user that experienced users of the software preferred
> Manual,
> > but that was just one person and was quite a while ago, so I wonder if
> that
> > is really true, and if it may have changed as sites increasingly use ARIA
> > composite widgets. Any data on this anywhere?
> >
> > Best,
> > Rob
> >
> > --
> > *Rob Fentress*
> > *Web Accessibility Solutions Designer*
> > Accessible Technologies at Virginia Tech Electronic Business Card (vCard)
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