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[DRAFT for discussion]
Requirements and Changelog for "How People with Disabilities Use the Web"

Editors Draft: http://www.w3.org/WAI/EO/Drafts/PWD-Use-Web/2009/

Latest Public Draft: http://www.w3.org/WAI/EO/Drafts/PWD-Use-Web/20050505.html

This Changelog supercedes "Change Log: How People With Disabilities Use the Web (2004)".

Note: Open items are shown with @@ and green highlighting.

About "How People with Disabilities Use the Web"

This document provides an introduction to use of the Web by people with disabilities. It illustrates some of their functional requirements when using Web sites and Web-based applications, by presenting different scenarios of people using the Web; describes how different functional limitations can create barriers to Web use and accessibility provisions that help ensure accessibility; and describes assistive technologies used by people with different needs. It provides supporting information for the guidelines and technical work of the World Wide Web Consortium's (W3C) Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI). An existing but outdated draft document is available at http://www.w3.org/WAI/EO/Drafts/PWD-Use-Web/Overview.html

Purpose, Goals, Objectives

Rationale:

• Most Web designers and developers are unfamiliar with the design requirements of users with disabilities and older users, and need an explanatory and/or illustrative reference to help them understand the rationale for the accessibility provisions in WAI guidelines. In particular, the existing outdated document currently includes only one scenario of an older user, but is nevertheless a highly popular and in-demand online resource.

Objective:

• Provide an engaging scenario-based introduction to functional requirements of people with disabilities, expanded to better address the needs of older users, and updated to integrate references to WCAG 2.0 instead of WCAG 1.0, as well as references to ATAG and UAAG

Notes:

• Generalised disability descriptions will need particularly sensitive review

Audience

Primary audience:

• Web designers, developers, managers, and marketers with a need to learn about the specific functional requirements of people with disabilities and older users

Secondary audience:

• Anyone/everyone interested in better understanding Web accessibility

Approach

Scope:

• Select representative user scenarios of people with disabilities and older users using the Web in different ways and for different purposes, without attempting comprehensive coverage of every WCAG 2.0 provision. Highlight provisions from ATAG and UAAG as well.

Format:

• WG Note / multi-chapter note

Structure (draft):

• Introduction
• TOC
• User scenarios
• Descriptions of disabilities and functional requirements
• Descriptions of assistive technologies
• Cross-mapped references to WCAG 2.0 success criteria, and to ATAG & UAAG

Tasks:

• Review existing document and mark up updating needs relating to references to Web devices, Web technologies, and social uses of technologies.
• Add multiple additional research-based scenarios describing older users with different types of functional needs, different ages, and different levels of familiarity with computers, mobile devices, and the Web.
• Prepare, review and add multiple scenarios to address Web use by users with cognitive disabilities more comprehensively.
• Update all WCAG 1.0 technical references to comparable WCAG 2.0 technical references, and adjust the linked user scenarios where needed for relevance

Notes

• Size:
  • @@ currently 19 printed page

Wishlist

• consider some way of capturing real people's experiences on an ongoing basis (raised at TF 26.Aug.09)
• consider additional temporary impairments due to an accident or illness, e.g. broken arm in a cast, ear infection, etc (raised at TF 26.Aug.09)

References

WAI-AGE task force and EOWG Discussions:

• WAI-AGE TF teleconf - 23 September 2009
• WAI-AGE TF teleconf - 9 September 2009
• WAI-AGE TF teleconf - 26 August 2009 - discussion of:
  • possible new older people scenarios
  • out-of-date aspects in "Different Disabilities" & "Assistive Technologies and Adaptive Strategies"
• WAI-AGE TF teleconf - 12 August 2009 - discussion of out-of-date aspects in existing scenarios
• WAI-AGE TF teleconf - 1 July 2009

Related documents:

• WAI-AGE project - http://www.w3.org/WAI/WAI-AGE/
• WAI-AGE deliverables - http://www.w3.org/WAI/WAI-AGE/deliverables.html#involve

Other material:

• Background for scenario ideas from Michael
• Additional background for scenario ideas from Andrew
• Generational Differences in Online Activity [tabular data - image only] [report] (2009, Pew internet, US)
• Internet Access Households and Individuals (see Table 7 - internet Activities by Age) [PDF report; related reports] (2009, UK Office of National Statistics
• Accessibility in User-Centered Design: Scenarios (UIAccess)
• A-Z of user experience design resources - Scenarios (Dey Alexander)

Changelog

Note:

• See notes for potential older people scenarios
• See "Previous Changelog" for 2004 and earlier changes.
• See Editors draft for latest updates

30 October 2009

• drafted complete list of WCAG 2.0 success criteria as replacements for WCAG 1.0 checkpoints in the Scenario References
• refined scenarios
• tidied HTML code

21 September 2009

• refined scanrios
• turned some scenario notes into prose
• added sample WCAG 2.0 notes in the Scenario References

08 September 2009

• added notes from recent WAI-AGE task force teleconferences:
  • 26 August 2009
  • 12 August 2009
• added potential scenarios from WAI-AGE email list suggestions

Starting notes:

• opening guideline links should go to the appropriate intro pages
• assistive technology needs checking for currency
• Web technologies need checking for currency - e.g. retain frames scenario?
• Current scenarios
  • online shopper with color blindness (user control of style sheets)
  • reporter with repetitive stress injury (keyboard equivalents for mouse-driven commands; access-key)
  • online student who is deaf (captioned audio portions of multimedia files)
  • accountant with blindness (appropriate markup of tables, alternative text, abbreviations, and acronyms; synchronization of visual, speech, and braille display)
  • classroom student with dyslexia (use of supplemental graphics; freezing animated graphics; multiple search options)
  • retiree with aging-related conditions, managing personal finances (magnification; stopping scrolling text; avoiding pop-up windows)
  • supermarket assistant with cognitive disability (clear and simple language; consistent design; consistent navigation options; multiple search options)
  • teenager with deaf-blindness, seeking entertainment (user control of style sheets; accessible multimedia; device-independent access; labelled frames; appropriate table markup)
    • [ref: The world according to Matthew Robson aged 15]
• Additional older people scenario outlines:
  • need to work in combinations of requirements from Draft WAI Guidelines and Older Web Users: Findings from a Literature Review - possibilities:
    • older office worker or engineer (say 60 yo) with reduced vision and hearing and early arthritis (larger fonts; contrast; keyboard access; @@)
    • Potential scenario 1 original notes:
      • large civil engineering firm
      • in charge of training and assessment for engineering staff
      • responsible for part of professional development area on intranet
      • reads on-line journals and engineering forums
      • keen fisherman & participates in several fly-fishing forums
      • say 55/60 years old
        • might benefit from being 64 and facing compulsory retirement - People keep telling him "now you'll get to fish all the time" but he knows he would tire of that quickly. He can easily do essentially all his tasks at home and would benefit from better connections.
      • reduced vision (that is not correctable) and glare sensitive
      • developing arthritis (difficult to click mouse)
      • requirements:
        • larger fonts;
        • sufficient contrast;
        • keyboard access;
        • own style-sheet with off-white b/gd ??
          • non time-based actions that change the status of the page if the user does not consciously initiate them, low number of links in the Web pages, (links/buttons cover a sufficiently large clickable area so that they can be hit even when the mouse is used with a low precision)
    • older old (85+) grandmother - (@@ new web user) with reduced vision and mild cognitive impairment / mild dementia (larger fonts; contrast; consistency; error correction; @@)
    • Potential scenario 2 original notes:
      • grandmother of 85+ years
      • new to computers and the Web (less than 12 month experience)
      • web-based email with children/grandchildren
      • accesses blogs and photo sites & social networking
      • accesses health information
      • accesses travel information & makes bookings to visit distant family - catches up on the TV via the channel websites
      • appreciates subtitles/captions when provided
      • reduced vision
      • significant hearing loss
      • mild cognitive impairment / mild dementia (forgetful; easily confused; slow to learn a new site - but enthusistic)
      • requirements:
        • larger fonts
        • contrast
        • consistent navigation
        • clear links
        • input assistance - error identification/suggestions with form
    • semi-retiree (70+ yo) volunteering at local charity with @@ (@@ ), setting up promotional site for them
    • older blind person using screen reader technology (see Michael's suggestion)
    • Potential scenario 4 original notes:
      • rather experienced internet user
      • using the web with a screenreader supported by a refreshable braille device
      • one of the more important tasks on the web is managing her bank-account which would otherwise be problematic. in a brick and mortare bank she would always need a second person to fill her forms as it is not allowed for the clerk to do this for her (four-eyes principle).
      • managing a bank-account online requires trust and security for every single action taken. therefore there are certain key criterias on her bank's website to support trust and security feelings. such as:
        • login: there are apart from the captcha based login two alternatives: audio-captcha and a login-method including mobile phone short messages.
        • all form elements are labeled properly, graphical buttons have helpful alt-texts.
        • helpful information about success or failure of every transaction, placed easy to find and always at the same position (beginning of content and title-element of page).
      • it's also important to find her way within a page by either using skip-links or having a header-structure to support this (note: if scenario is too long and detailed, we can skip this)
      • [maybe we can extend this by an anecdote that finding a bank with an accessible web interface was reason enough for her to change her bank. (actually it was the other way round, she could convince the bank to fix some of the problems.)]

Document Information

Content last updated: $Date: 2009/11/01 18:33:19 $
Current Editor: Andrew Arch with participation from the WAI-AGE task force and the Education and Outreach Working Group (EOWG).
Previous Editor: Judy Brewer and participants of the Education and Outreach Working Group (EOWG).

[Contacting WAI] Feedback welcome to wai-eo-editors@w3.org (a publicly archived list).