WebAIM - Web Accessibility In Mind

E-mail List Archives

RE: New WebAIM Site Released

for

From: Austin, Darrel
Date: Jun 12, 2006 7:50AM

> The one that people use. Of course, "viewable without
> scrolling" is a rough rule, as most good design principles
> are.

It also appears to be a very out of date rule...

http://www.uie.com/reports/scent_of_information/

Even in 1997 Nielsen began seeing that scrolling was perfectly
acceptable:

http://www.useit.com/alertbox/9712a.html

While I agree that it's a common bit of advice repeated by many web
developers, it doesn't appear to hold up under observation.

> Nielsen relatively soon relativized the
> issue, but he still makes a point:
>
> "There are still a few users who rarely scroll."

Yep. But there are always a few users who rarely do x, y, and z. As
such, saying that it must fit within the browser *is* a sweeping
generalization as it's based on a small handful of users (based on
decade-old research).

I agree that 'too much information' isn't a good thing. Defining 'too
much information' for a particular site and their particular user groups
is a bit more of a challenge.

> In information-rich sites, like webaim.org and w3.org, it
> might seem proper to have lots of navigation on the main
> page. After all, the sites are mostly used by experts or
> to-be experts who can find their way in a maze of twisty
> little menus. Yet, the sites set a bad example that will be
> imitated, consciously or unconsciously.

The 'scent of information' report linked to above addresses that as
well. I think it's required reading for any web developer that's been in
the business for more than 5 years. It breaks a LOT of outdated thinking
that is stuck in a lot of our heads (mine included). I provided a
synopsis of the report here:

http://mnteractive.com/archive/above-the-fold-is-obsolete-and-digibuy-is
-a-good-company/

The key item from the report in regards to this discussion is the fact
that more links are often a GOOD thing for a lot of people. The number
of links is less of an issue. Using the proper keywords in the links to
communicate to the end-user what they are clicking on is more important.

-Darrel