WebAIM - Web Accessibility In Mind

E-mail List Archives

Re: text in addition to arrows for flashcard navigation?

for

From: Steve Green
Date: Sep 1, 2022 9:43AM

You cannot assume that text gives all users a similar experience. Some people, especially those with cognitive impairments, benefit greatly from the provision of supporting images.

In user testing sessions I have seen people with dyslexia completely fail tasks even though they text they needed to complete the task was right in front of them. In one case it was a 24pt bold red error message, but although they saw it, it just didn't register. In that case the participant reckoned that it would have registered if the text was supported by an icon or had a thick border.

The lesson for me was that it's really difficult to understand what some people perceive when presented with text. It's not just about the words - it's about the position, spacing, background colour, supporting imagery and other factors. There is no such thing as "universal design"!

Steve Green
Managing Director
Test Partners Ltd