Web Accessibility:Web Accessibility:Assuring Content Quality and Assuring Content Quality and Accessibility to MaximizeAccessibility to MaximizeBusiness Results Business Results

Sponsored by: Sponsored by: Silicon Valley WebGuildSilicon Valley WebGuild

Presented by: Presented by: Cynthia D. Waddell, HiSoftware Company-Advisory Board Member-Accessibility Cynthia D. Waddell, HiSoftware Company-Advisory Board Member-Accessibility Steve Fleming, Human Factors International Steve Fleming, Human Factors International

13 August 200313 August 2003

AgendaAgenda

I. Introduction to Accessibility – Defining the Problem

II. Usability Design Guidelines for Accessibility

III. Content Quality and Accessibility Management

IV. Developing a Section 508 Strategy - Web sites, Intranets, and Web based applications

V. Resources that are available to you

What Is Accessibility?What Is Accessibility?

Ac-ces'-sible 1. That which can be approached or entered 2. That which can be got; obtainable

– True usability for everyone – including those with disabilities

– Widespread Benefits Improve the product for all users

– Fundamental requirement just like: Security Globalization Anti Piracy Performance

The Information SuperhighwayThe Information Superhighway

Since the Internet was founded, it has become an easy way to publish and locate information.

According to the US Census Bureau, December 1997 U.S. Census brief, one in five Americans have some kind of legal disability.

(Source: December 1997 US Census Brief, “Disabilities Affect One-Fifth of all Americans,” available at www.census.gov/prod/3/97/pubs/cenbr975.pdf.)

Most people use Web browsers like Microsoft® Internet Explorer; others must also use assistive technologies with Web browsers:

– Screen readers– Audio browsers– Braille printers– Voice-activation software

Barriers to AccessBarriers to Access

Users may have: – Learning difficulties– Language fluency problems– Hearing impairment– Vision impairment– Dexterity restrictions– Work area restrictions– Mobile access, such as in an automobile

– Disabilities that increase with age

Barriers to AccessBarriers to Access

Non-target medium– Computer screen – desktop CRT or LCD or laptop computer LCD

– Teletype – a pager, cell phone, or a text browser on a regular computer

– Television – WebTV – Projection systems – Handheld devices – Palm computer or Pocket PC

– Printed on paper

Barriers to AccessBarriers to Access

“Common” devices– Pagers– Handheld computers– Cell phones

Non-Target BrowserNon-Target Browser

What's wrong with this page?

– Not everyone uses Microsoft/Netscape

– Other browsers may show unexpected anomalies

– The page using Opera

Interaction ProblemsInteraction Problems

– Scripting, Java, plug-ins, and cookies don’t work on special access browsers

– Won’t work with screen reader

– No keyboard equivalent

Assistive Technology (AT)Assistive Technology (AT)

The term "assistive technology device" means any item, piece of equipment, or product system, whether acquired commercially off the shelf, modified, or customized, that is used to increase, maintain, or improve functional capabilities of <individuals> with disabilities.

From the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), P.L. 101-476, Section 1401 (a) (25).)

– Screen readers– Braille readers– Speech recognition– Screen magnifiers

Assistive Technology (AT): Screen ReadersAssistive Technology (AT): Screen Readers

– Synthesized voice output– Reads text on screen and keystrokes entered– Reads icons, menus, punctuation, link/button labels

Assistive Technology (AT): Braille ReadersAssistive Technology (AT): Braille Readers

– Dynamic or refreshable Braille – Mechanical pins are raised or lowered to display

Braille characters– Navigate with an up/down key

Assistive Technology (AT): Speech Assistive Technology (AT): Speech RecognitionRecognition

– Voice browser input method (speech-to-text)– Hands-free use– Used by people with physical disabilities or temporary injuries

– Hard to get used to it– Multi-language

Assistive Technology (AT): Screen MagnifiersAssistive Technology (AT): Screen Magnifiers

– Enlarges screen– For low-vision people

Design Guidelines for AccessibilityDesign Guidelines for Accessibility

– Content vs. presentation– Text equivalents– Navigation– Links– Pull-down menus– Tables– Movement– Writing style

References:

• Techniques for Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 1.0, W3C Note May 5 1999. w3.org

• Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 1.0, W3C Recommendation May 5 1999. w3.org

• Accessibility Forum, accessibilityforum.org. Worst Case Section 508 Rules.

• Unified Web Site Accessibility Guidelines, trace.wisc.edu

• IBM Accessibility Center Guidelines, www-3.ibm.com, Web Accessibility Checklist

Content vs. PresentationContent vs. Presentation

– First decide what the content will be– THEN design an accessible presentation

Text EquivalentsText Equivalents

Text is accessible to almost all users. Provide text or ALT tabs to describe:

• Complex pages or elements• Images• Photographs• Graphical button labels• Auditory content• Multimedia• Applets• Links within image maps• Invisible layout images• Any text images• Symbols• Animation

NavigationNavigation

Help users create a “mental map” of the site structure. Navigation should be consistent and predictable. Provide orientation information: Describe navigation with text. Provide search and site map.

– Link text must be informative

– Group similar links, and provide a descriptive header for the group

LinksLinks

– Mental model is created via links– Must be descriptive – Must make sense out of context

Pull-Down Menus (and Cascading Menus)Pull-Down Menus (and Cascading Menus)

Concise and literal labels Selections in logical order or alphabetical order First letter navigation (shortcuts) No automatic re-direct to a new page when an item is selected Cascading menus are not accessible to screen readers, and may require mouse (inaccessible to some physically disabled users).

TablesTables– Very problematic for screen readers

– Hard for disabled user to remember column and row headers when “reading” column 5, row 9

– Provide summaries and descriptions

– Use column and row headers

– Make line by line reading sensible

MovementMovement

– Very problematic for users with cognitive challenges

– Inaccessible to most screen readers– Until users are able to turn off movement, do not use movement on pages

– Avoid: Blinking Flashing Scrolling marquees Auto-updating

– Provide text equivalents that are synchronized to the movement

Writing StyleWriting Style

Suggestions to make content easier to read for everyone:– Informative and accurate headings, link titles, button labels

– Inverted pyramid: State topic at beginning of article– Front loading: State topic at beginning of paragraph– Limit each paragraph to one idea– Consistent page layout– Easy-to-understand content (clear and simple)– Avoid slang, jargon– Favor commonly used words– Active voice– Avoid complex sentence structures and unusual displays of text

An Introduction to Content Quality An Introduction to Content Quality ManagementManagement

The Internet age has revolutionized how organizations communicate, publish and find information. While this technology has created new opportunities for global communication and commerce, it has also created new challenges in content policy management.

The volume of information available through organizational Web sites, Intranets, Extranets and Networks, via multiple entry points, provided by multiple content contributors, in multiple forms and languages, has increased dramatically. Web content management is a critical component of any successful online business strategy.

Defining the ProblemDefining the Problem

Many organizations have fallen prey to the exponential growth of electronic information because their documents are scattered about individual PC's, workgroups, and entire enterprises with little or no controls in place to monitor content for compliance with corporate standards for Accessibility, Privacy, Searchability and Usability.

When these standards can be structured and implemented they have great value. However, implementing a solution to accomplish this task has been cost-prohibitive to most organizations.

Content quality testing solutions should provide a combination of user-driven interactive desktop solutions that allow developers to test their content for conformance with standards, and server side applications that allow for automated and remote testing.

They should also provide a comprehensive interface for testing content against standards for Accessibility, searchability and any custom content quality factor, allowing an organization’s experts and/or policy managers to define content policies and then provide a solution to validate compliance with these policies.

Designing the SolutionDesigning the Solution

Users should be able to:

– Test for Accessibility & Usability: Section 508, WCAG 1.0, WCAG 2.0, CLF, XAG & any standard derived from WCAG or Section 508

– Test for compliance with custom guidelines and policies for all content including but not limited to: HTML, XHTML, SVG, XML and any other text or element based content

– Accomplish Custom validation for:  CSS, XSL, SVG, JavaScript, VBScript, and other text or element based content

Keep up with ever-changing Web Keep up with ever-changing Web technologies and standardstechnologies and standards

Site Quality FactorsSite Quality Factors

Accessibility and Usability

Searchability

Privacy and Exposure

Site Quality-User Experience

Site Quality-Broken Links

Metadata Policy

Custom Checks-Corporate Standards

Accessibility requirements are changing over time so training becomes a challenge. Because of these challenges, organizations need an easy-to-use yet complete accessibility testing solution that is up to date with all standards and that can work on web documents wherever they are found!

Accessibility and UsabilityAccessibility and Usability

SearchabilitySearchability

Content Managers should be able to validate content for proper quality as related to searchability, based on practical and accepted indexing guidelines. Indexed Internet, extranet, intranet or any other location of content determines content relevance when requested by a search mechanism. This could be an internal search engine or public search engine such as AltaVista, MSN, Google, etc...

Privacy and ExposurePrivacy and Exposure

Adhering to privacy legislation is quickly becoming a top concern for companies around the globe. Example legislation worldwide:– The Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act of 1999 – The Health Insurance Portability and

Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) – The Children's Online Privacy Protection Act

of 1998 (COPPA) – The European Union Data Protection

Directive of 1998 – Custom Corporate Policy Guidelines

Site Quality-User ExperienceSite Quality-User Experience

Validate content specific site quality factors that can attribute to poor functionality of a site and/or poor user experience if not corrected, such as: – Slow Loading Pages/Max File Size – Missing or Repeated Title Elements in HTML – Repetitive Anchor Text Errors – NOSCRIPT Missing Error Report – Links to All Specific File Types other then

HTML – Link Report to all Data Tables in Web Site

Site Quality-Bad, Missing or Error Generating Site Quality-Bad, Missing or Error Generating LinksLinks

Content Managers should be able to create a complete “Site Inventory” for a better understanding of their Web sites with information on site size, file types in use, mail links, and identify where you may be linking to third party sites. Broken links and missing images can create a negative experience for users of a Web site. As Web sites increase in size, it becomes increasingly difficult to keep an accurate inventory of content that has been changed over time.

Custom Checks-Corporate StandardsCustom Checks-Corporate Standards

Custom checks allow users to ensure that diverse document authors create and maintain content that meets with the “common look and feel” for the corporate Web presence, and that all content complies with organizational standards and policies.

Accessibility Standards for the WebAccessibility Standards for the Web

Section 508, Subpart B, §1194.22

Part of the Rehabilitation Act Amendments of 1998

Published by the U.S. Access Board

Web Content Accessibility Guidelines

Created by the W3C®, or World Wide Web Consortium

Guidelines have been assigned Priority Levels

“Priority 1” guidelines are essential for accessibility

Introduction to Section 508Introduction to Section 508

In 1998, Congress amended the Rehabilitation Act to require Federal agencies to make their electronic and information technology accessible to people with disabilities. Inaccessible technology interferes with an individual's ability to obtain and use information quickly and easily.

Section 508Section 508

Section 508 was enacted to eliminate barriers in information technology, to make available new opportunities for people with disabilities, and to encourage development of technologies that will help achieve these goals. The law applies to all Federal agencies when they develop, procure, maintain, or use electronic and information technology.

In plain English . . . Federal employees have equal access to office systems and information.

People in the general public have equal access to

government information.

Section 508 (PL 105-220, 1998 HR 1385) requires

that Federal agencies' electronic and information technology is accessible to people with disabilities, including employees and members of the public.

Section 508-Impact on IndustrySection 508-Impact on Industry

Forrester Research-December 2001-”Design Accessible Now”

Few 3,500 Global Sites accessible to users with disabilities

Compelling-National Captioning Institute Found 53% of hearing-impaired users take extra effort to buy from brands that support captioning and 38% will change their favorite brands to do so

Increased productivity in work place-Reducing barriers for telecommuters-State Street advisors found employees print out transcripts of audio and video training to use while telecommuting

Act Now-Firms with online commitment and Act Now-Firms with online commitment and Government tiesGovernment ties

Technology, travel and financial firms Telecom, Retail and Media Firms-$175 billion in

discretionary income controlled by consumers with disabilities

B2B less urgency-exception is innovators pushing massive amounts of business online

Average cost-$160,00- for retrofit versus $60,000 if front-loaded into new design or complete redesign

Improving the Web for everyoneImproving the Web for everyone

Accessibility laws are making Web-based information user-friendly for all users. Compliance with these standards, not only assists users of assistive technologies, but also can improve access to the Web for hand-held, wireless devices.

These laws are based on best practices for Web authoring and information technology. While many of the laws directly benefit users with disabilities who might rely on assistive technologies to view information, the laws benefit everyone.

Why you should build accessibleWhy you should build accessible

Developers often ask, “Why should our site and applications be accessible?” Aside from any legal or statutory requirements, the answer to this question is simple - offering equal access to disabled users is compelling, and for many reasons:

Build your user base Take a position of leadership in your particular business sector Grow your loyal customer base The cost of retro-fitting is much higher than building an

accessible site from scratch It simply makes good business sense to increase the number of your potential customers It is the right thing to do at a minimal cost

It is cheaper to do it right the first timeIt is cheaper to do it right the first time

Organizations that include accessibility management as part of their development plans and quality assurance and testing practices will have a tremendous economic advantage.

The cost of Retrofitting a Web site for accessibility can be as much as ten times the cost of designing an

accessible site from the ground up.

Designing Accessible versus RetrofittingDesigning Accessible versus Retrofitting

When you incorporate accessibility into your design- you can leverage verification and repair solutions to work along side of your content creation tools.

Quality assurance and testing tools can also utilize accessibility testing solutions to integrate accessibility

into the defect tracking methodologies you are already using for managing your performance.

Accessibility assurance can be integrated into the test processes for dynamic Web applications and Web sites.

Standards Are the Key to InteroperabilityStandards Are the Key to Interoperability

Interoperability and device independence on the Web can only be met following strict standards for content creation, page coding, presentation, and interaction.

Use standard published document type definitions for coding pages in HTML and XHTML.

Validate the code using online or in-house SGML parsers to check for errors.

Use cross-platform standardized scripting such as ECMAScript, and deviate from that only to handle special problems.

About HiSoftwareAbout HiSoftware

HiSoftware’s solutions empower organizations to create HiSoftware’s solutions empower organizations to create and manage corporate standards for Accessibility, and manage corporate standards for Accessibility, Usability, Searchability, Privacy Policy and custom quality Usability, Searchability, Privacy Policy and custom quality factors. factors.

HiSoftware’s solutions enable organizations to quickly HiSoftware’s solutions enable organizations to quickly and efficiently build, deploy, and maintain highly and efficiently build, deploy, and maintain highly dynamic, accessible, usable and searchable Web sites dynamic, accessible, usable and searchable Web sites regardless of content, type, format, or location. regardless of content, type, format, or location.   

HiSoftware's Proven Solutions for content test and HiSoftware's Proven Solutions for content test and management dramatically reduce the time required to management dramatically reduce the time required to test, manage and deploy e-business Web sites. test, manage and deploy e-business Web sites.

Developing a Strategy for Content qualityDeveloping a Strategy for Content quality

A Content quality and accessibility strategy should give you the ability to view policy implementation from a project management perspective. This will enable you to:

Allocate resources appropriately Track site progress Identify problem areas Integrate content quality into your Quality Assurance and content delivery processes Keep a historical view of your Web site work.

Software ToolsSoftware ToolsAccVerifyAccVerifyVerifies Web site policy complianceVerifies Web site policy compliance-Desktop solution-Desktop solution

AccRepairAccRepairVerifies policy compliance and makes Wizard-guided repairs to Web Verifies policy compliance and makes Wizard-guided repairs to Web

contentcontent-Desktop solution-Desktop solution

AccMonitorAccMonitorVerifies policy compliance for live Web files and Repairs files through Verifies policy compliance for live Web files and Repairs files through

file management systemfile management system--Automated server solution with Web based interface and platform Automated server solution with Web based interface and platform

independent verificationindependent verification

Cynthia SaysCynthia Sayswww.cynthiasays.comwww.cynthiasays.com

The Web Project Life CycleThe Web Project Life Cycle

Incorporating Content quality into the project– Develop a policy for creation,

validation and monitoring of content that complies with policies

– Educate-all members of the team– Empower the developers and QA team

with testing tools– Empower Web Managers and

administrators with tools to monitor the effective implementation of the policy

http://www.hisoftware.com/index.html

The Voluntary Product Accessibility Template The Voluntary Product Accessibility Template

The IT Industry Council has developed a form called a Voluntary Product Accessibility Template (VPAT.) This form is a self-certification that allows software vendors to identify the accessibility components of their software applications, and to provide that information to their customers.

Software companies should be able to provide you with their voluntary product accessibility statement. This will give you a good idea whether or not the software is accessible. Remember it is your responsibility to verify that the solution is accessible.

ConclusionsConclusions

Your Web Sites are an easy way to reach millions of visitors-if they are accessible to those visitors.

Your Web Sites communicates important branding information about your company and company philosophy.

Accessibility is the right thing to do and can be easily implemented into your existing development strategies.

Accessibility makes your sites available to everyone not only the disabled.

If you are conducting e-commerce across your Web Sites than you may be losing an important customers base.

““Understanding Accessibility”Understanding Accessibility”

HiSoftware has recently published a book "Understanding Accessibility" (ISBN - 1-930616-03-1). This book, is a guide to creating and testing Web sites that are developed to the U.S. federal standards for accessible Web content, and the World Wide Web, or W3C, accessibility guidelines.

HiSoftware Publishing is currently in the process of developing the second edition of the book, which will address WCAG 1.0 guidelines Priority 1, 2, and 3 as well as Canadian, European and world wide accessibility guidelines. This second edition will be available as print media.

If you would like to download a copy of the eBook, please visit our site at: http://www.hisoftware.com/msacc/regbook.htm

Contact informationContact informationHiSoftware CompanyHiSoftware Company

www.hisoftware.comwww.hisoftware.com

Dana SimberkoffDana Simberkoff

Danalouise@hisoftware.comDanalouise@hisoftware.com

888-272-2484 (toll free US and 888-272-2484 (toll free US and Canada)Canada)

+1-603-229-3055 +1-603-229-3055

Human FactorsHuman Factors

www.humanfactors.comwww.humanfactors.com

Steve FlemingSteve Fleming

Steve@humanfactors.comSteve@humanfactors.com

+1-415-765-0963+1-415-765-0963