Minimum Functional Requirements and Things for Developers to Think About
for Conforming to the User Agent Guidelines
By Jon Gunderson
Date: 4/18/2000
Items with Minimal Functional Requirement Specifications that may not be
clear from checkpoint text:
- 1.3 Ensure that the user can interact with all active
elements in a device-independent manner. [Priority 1]
- 1.4 Ensure that every functionality available through the
user interface is also available through the standard keyboard API. [Priority
1]
- 2.2 For presentations that require user input within a
specified time interval, allow the user to configure the time interval (e.g.,
to extend it or to cause the user agent to pause the presentation automatically
and await user input before proceeding). [Priority 1]
- 2.4 When a text equivalent for content is explicitly empty
(i.e., an empty string), render nothing. [Priority 3]
- 3.8 For automatic content changes specified by the author
(e.g., redirection and content refresh), allow the user to slow the rate of
change. [Priority 2]
- 4.5 Allow the user to slow the presentation rate of audio,
video, and animations. [Priority 1]
- 4.13 Allow the user to configure how the selection is
highlighted (e.g., foreground and background color). [Priority 1]
- 4.14 Allow the user to configure how the content focus is
highlighted (e.g., foreground and background color).
- 4.15 Allow the user to configure how the focus changes.
[Priority 2]
- 4.16 For those viewports, prompts, and windows that open
without an explicit request from the user, allow the user to configure how they
open. [Priority 2]
- 5.9 Follow operating system conventions and accessibility
settings. In particular, follow conventions for user interface design, default
keyboard configuration, product installation, and documentation. [Priority
2]
- 7.3 Allow the user to navigate all active elements.
[Priority 1]
- 7.4 Allow the user to choose to navigate only active
elements. [Priority 2]
- 7.6 Allow the user to navigate according to structure.
[Priority 2]
- 7.7 Allow the user to configure structured navigation.
[Priority 3]
- 8.1 Make available to the user the author-specified purpose
of each table and the relationships among the table cells and headers.
[Priority 1]
- 8.2 Indicate to the user whether a link has been visited.
[Priority 2]
- 8.3 Indicate to the user whether a link has been marked up
to indicate that following it will involve a fee. [Priority 2]
- 8.4 To help the user decide whether to follow a link, make
available link information supplied by the author and computed by the user
agent. [Priority 3]
- 8.6 Make available to the user an "outline" view
of content, built from structural elements (e.g., frames, headers, lists,
forms, tables, etc.). [Priority 2]
- 8.8 Allow the user to configure the outline view. [Priority
3]
- 10.9 Allow the user to configure the arrangement of
graphical user agent user interface controls. [Priority 3]
In general most of the checkpoints of the W3C WAI User Agent Guidelines are
pretty specific, but some of the checkpoints are less clear on what is the
minimum requirements for satisfying a checkpoint or what kind of issues the
developer needs to think about when determining the scope of a checkpoint. This
document is designed to provide the developer with specific issues or
requirements for WIMP based user agents or user agents in general.
Guideline 1. Support input and output device-independence.
1.1 Ensure that every functionality available through the user interface is
also available through every input device API supported by the user agent.
Excluded from this requirement are functionalities that are part of the input
device API itself (e.g., text input for the keyboard API, pointer motion for
the pointer API, etc.) [Priority 1]
Things to think about for WIMP (Windows, Icons, Menu, Pointer) based
environment:
- Menus: Users select command options from the menus either using only the
keyboard or only the pointer; or all of the functions located in the menus have
a keybord short cut for activation.
- Dialog boxes: User is able to move the application focus to every control
in a dialog box using only the keyboard or only the mouse.
- User interface controls (buttons, checkboxes, radio buttons, text edit
conrols, list boxes...): User is able to change the state of the user
interfaces controls using only the keyboard or only the mouse. The only
exception is when a control accepts text as an input. In this case a mouse
pointer is not required to generate text for the control. It is sufficent for
the text input for a text control to come only from the keyboard API. Assistive
tecnologies may provide an on-screen keyboard to generate text from the use of
the pointer for some users in this case.
- Window positioning and sizing controls: User is able to use only the
keyboard or only the pointer to change the size and position of the
- Toolbars: User is able to select command options from a toolbar using only
the keyboard or only the pointer; or all the command options on the toolbard
are available through other keyboard commands
- Selecting content in a viewport (a common use of selection is for copying
content to another application)
- Drag and drop operations: The user is ablet accomplish the same task using
only keyboard commands.
- Navigate and select the source object
- Navigate and select the target object
- User invokes "drop" functionality of the source object to the
target object
- Any other functionalities offerred by the user agent
Note: It is not sufficient to claim that built-in
accessibility features for pointer emulation functionality (i.e. mouse keys )
provides keyboard access to user agent functionalities, since mouse keys cannot
identify to the user the source and target objects of the intended functions
1.2 Use the standard input and output device APIs of the operating system.
[Priority 1]
Things to think about for a WIMP (Windows, Icons, Menu, Pointer) based
environment:
- In general, the highest level API should be used to recieve input from the
user or to render information to the user. This improves accessibility since it
allows assistive technology to monitor user actions and information rendered to
the user in the highest sematic form of the information. It also allows
assistive technologies to not
- Keyboard: Use standard keyboard or character APIs or process keyboard
messages from the standard event cue
- Pointer: Use the standard pointer APIs or process pointer message
information from the standard event cue
- Windows: Use standard window APIs for drawing information to the screen. Do
not draw or directly manipulate hardware for visual rendering
- Dialog boxes: Use standard dialog APIs so that assistive technology can
identify the new window as a dialog box
- Text information (Prose, numbers, numerial tables, text within charts):
Text is drawn to the screen using standard text drawing APIs
- Graphic information (icons, images, pictures, graphs, charts): Bit mapped
images are drawn using standard bit map APIs 7. Lines, circles and other
geometric objects: Geomatric objects are drawn using standard geometric drawing
APIs
- Audio sounds: Non-speech sounds or sampled speech is rendered through
standard audio APIs.
- Synthesized speech: Speech generated from text should use standard speech
APIs to reduce conflicts with other audio events or generated speech.
- Devices that do not support assistive technologies natively, the user
interface must provide an external interface to exchange information with a
remote device. See guideline 5 for the information that must be exchanged.
Minimum functionality required for WIMP (Windows, Icons, Menu, Pointer)
based environment for all of the following options:
- Use can operate all controls (including links and FORM controls defined by
the author) using only the keyboard or using only the pointer.
- User agents implement device independent standards to allow authors to
markup scripting events using device-independent events (i.e. GetFocus and
LostFocus, rather than MouseIn and MouseOut)
Minimum functionality required for WIMP (Windows, Icons, Menu, Pointer)
based environment for all of the following options:
- Every functionality of the user interface is accessible through the
keyboard and operation does not require the use of a pointing device
- For technologies that do not provide a keyboard or do not support a
keyboard API (Kiosks, mobile devices) the user agent must support an external
interface for controlling the user agent from a remote device (see Guideline
5).
1.5 Ensure every non-text message (e.g., prompt, alert, etc.) available
through the user interface also has a text equivalent in the user interface.
[Priority 1]
Things to think about for WIMP (Windows, Icons, Menu, Pointer) based
environment includes all the following items:
- Audio sounds or speech used to provide information to the user also has a
text equivalant of the information avalable in the user interface (for example,
in the status bar or through a message box)
- Icons: Icons that convey information also have a text equivalent of the
information. For example, when an icon indicates the severity of a warning to
the user should also have a text equivaent of the severity
- Any other graphic or audio events has a text equivalent. The text
equivalent is not a description of the graphic or audio event, but conveys the
same information as the audio or video event.
Guideline 2. Ensure user access to all content.
2.1 Ensure that the user has access to all content, including equivalent
alternatives for content. [Priority 1]
Things to think about for WIMP (Windows, Icons, Menu, Pointer) based
environment for all of the following options:
- The user must be able to configure the user agent to render alternative
equivalent content through the supported output devices. For graphical displays
alternative text must be rendered in its entirety as text on the graphical
display. The user agent can also render primary content if is chooses to do so.
- As users adjust the rendering of content through the supported output
devices all content should remain available. For example, as the user adjusts
the default font size the user agent should appropriately render text within
the current view port. Content should be rendered to minimize scrolling for
graphical view port (i.e. for western languages this maybe through word wrap in
the current view port, other languages have their own conventions for
minimizing horizontal and/or vertical scrolling).
- If the user adjusts the font or image sizes through changing the scale of
the graphical rendering (zoom functionality) and the rendered information does
not fit within the current view port the user agent should provide a scrolling
function so the user can move the view port to examine all the content.
Minimum functionality required for WIMP (Windows, Icons, Menu, Pointer)
based environment when the user agent can recognize markup that indicates an
author specified time interval for a user response allow the user the option of
at least one of the following options:
1. Allow the user to adjust the time scale to at least 5 times the time
interval specified by the author.
and/or
2. At the end of the author supplied time interval. Automatically pause the
presentation until the user explicitly restarts the presentation. While the
presentation is pauses the user needs can interact with the current user
interface controls.
2.3 When the author has not supplied a text equivalent for content as
required by the markup language, make available other author-supplied
information about the content (e.g., object type, file name, etc.). [Priority
2]
Things to think about when a text equivalent is not supplied:
- Render the source or target the target information for the resource.
- What types of information could be genrated by the user agent that would
help the user understand the primary content
Minimum functionality required for WIMP (Windows, Icons, Menu, Pointer)
based environment requires all the following items:
- 1. The user agent ignores the element (i.e. display equals none in CSS).
This is for compatibility with the WCAG.
2.5 If more than one equivalent alternative is available for content, allow
the user to choose from among the alternatives. This includes the choice of
viewing no alternatives. [Priority 1]
Things to think about when there is more than one alternative:
- Allow the user to configure the user agent for their preference of the type
of alternative equivalents they would like rendered (i.e. language preference
for an audio description of a video presentation).
- When there is no user information on which alternative equivalent they
prefer, prompt the user with the choice of alternative equivalents when
available.
- If there preferences are not available, allow the user to configure the
user agent to prompt them for other alternative equivalents available.
2.6 Allow the user to specify that text transcripts, collated text
transcripts, captions, and auditory descriptions be rendered at the same time
as the associated auditory and visual tracks. Respect author-supplied
synchronization cues during rendering. [Priority 1]
Things to think about for WIMP (Windows, Icons, Menu, Pointer) based
environment includes all the following items:
- The user agent gives the user an option to view the alternative equivalents
in a separate view port from the primary content.
2.7 For author-identified but unsupported natural languages, allow the user
to request notification of language changes in content. [Priority 3]
Things to think about for langauge changes:
- Provide information about the start and end of content that is affected by
changes in language. For example insert a text message before and after the
language change indicating the start or end of the language change and the name
of the author specified language.
Guideline 3. Allow the user to turn off rendering or stop behavior that may
reduce accessibility.
3.1 Allow the user to turn on and off rendering of background images.
[Priority 1]
Minimum functionality required for WIMP (Windows, Icons, Menu, Pointer)
based environment is to ignore author specified markup for background images.
3.2 Allow the user to turn on and off rendering of background audio.
[Priority 1]
Minimum functionality required is to ignore author specified markup for
background audio.
3.3 Allow the user to turn on and off rendering of video. [Priority 1]
Minimum functionality required for WIMP (Windows, Icons, Menu, Pointer)
based environment is to either ignore author specified markup for video or
automatically hide the view port the video is being rendered to the user.
3.4 Allow the user to turn on and off rendering of audio. [Priority 1]
Minimum functionality required is to either ignore author specified markup
for audio or automatically turn the volume to zero of the audio channel(s) the
sound resource while the audio is playing.
3.5 Allow the user to turn on and off animated or blinking text. [Priority
1]
Minimum functionality required for WIMP (Windows, Icons, Menu, Pointer)
based environment is to disable the blinking or animation of text (the text
should be left on) that the user agent can detect. The blinking or marqee text
should be fully rendered as static text.
3.6 Allow the user to turn on and off animations and blinking images.
[Priority 1]
Minimum functionality required for WIMP (Windows, Icons, Menu, Pointer)
based environment is to disable the blinking or animation of image (the image
should be left on) that the user agent can detect.
3.7 Allow the user to turn on and off support for scripts and applets.
[Priority 1]
Minimum functionality required for WIMP (Windows, Icons, Menu, Pointer)
based environment is to disable the execution of scripts and applets (the image
should be left on).
Minimum functionality required for author specified automatic content
changes is to:
- Allow the user to adjust the time scale to at least 30 times the time
interval specified by the author. and/or
- At the end of the author supplied time interval prompt the user to refresh,
not to refresh or to never automatically refresh. The user should be able to
manually refresh the page.
3.9 Allow the user to turn on and off rendering of images. [Priority 3]
Minimum functionality required for WIMP (Windows, Icons, Menu, Pointer)
based environment when the user agent can recognize markup that indicates an
image is to ignore the image markup and render alternative content.
Guideline 4. Ensure user control of styles
4.1 Allow the user to configure the size of text. [Priority 1]
Minimum functionality required for WIMP (Windows, Icons, Menu, Pointer)
based environment included the following capabilities:
- The user agent must be able to configure the user agent to ignore author
specified in-line markup for font size and ignore font size information in
author referenced style sheets.
- The user agent must allow the user agent to change the size of the fonts
used in the default style sheet; and/or allow the user to specify font sizes
through user style sheets
4.2 Allow the user to configure font family. [Priority 1]
Minimum functionality required for WIMP (Windows, Icons, Menu, Pointer)
based environment included the following capabilities:
- The user agent must be able to configure the user agent to ignore author
specified font styles and families and to ignore font family information in
author referenced style sheets.
- The user agent must allow the user to change the size of the font family
and at least one sans-serf font must be available in the choices (for
non-western fonts there are other specifications needed) used in the default
style sheet of the user agent , and/or allow the user to specify font family
through user style sheets
4.3 Allow the user to configure foreground color. [Priority 1]
Minimum functionality required for WIMP (Windows, Icons, Menu, Pointer)
based environment included the following capabilities:
- The user agent must be able to configure the user agent to ignore author
specified inline foreground color information and to ignore color information
in author referenced style sheets.
- The user agent must allow the user agent to change the foreground color in
the default style sheet; and/or allow the user to specify foreground color
through user style sheets
4.4 Allow the user to configure background color. [Priority 1]
Minimum functionality required for WIMP (Windows, Icons, Menu, Pointer)
based environment included the following capabilities:
- The user agent must be able to configure the user agent to ignore author
specified inline background color information and to ignore color information
in author referenced style sheets.
- The user agent must allow the user agent to change the background color in
the default style sheet; and/or allow the user to specify background color
through user style sheets
Minimum functionality required include the following capabilities:
- Video and animated images: Use signal processing techniques to decrease the
frame rate to the user to at least half of the original speed.
- Audio: Use signal processing techniques to decrease the speech rate (with
pitch adjustment) to 20% slower
- Respect synchronization cues for multi-media presentation that the user
agent can detect. Allow the user to listen to audio even if the video rate
requires significant distortion to the audio. The user in other checkpoints has
the ability to turn the audio off if they wan to.
4.6 Allow the user to start, stop, pause, advance, and rewind audio,
video, and animations. [Priority 1]
Minimum functionality required is self-explanatory.
4.7 Allow the user to configure the position of text transcripts, collated
text transcripts, and captions on graphical displays. [Priority 1]
4.8 Allow the user to configure the audio volume. [Priority 2]
Minimum functionality required is self-explanatory.
4.9 Allow the user to configure synthesized speech playback rate. [Priority
1]
Minimum requirement is to allow the user to adjust the rate over the entire
range of rates supported by the synthesized speech device.
4.10 Allow the user to configure synthesized speech volume. [Priority 1]
Minimum functionality required is self-explanatory.
4.11 Allow the user to configure synthesized speech pitch, gender, and
other articulation characteristics. [Priority 2]
Minimum functionality required is self-explanatory. Minimum requirement is
to allow the user to adjust the characteristic over the entire range supported
by the synthesized speech device.
4.12 Allow the user to select from available author and user style sheets
or to ignore them. [Priority 1]
Minimum functionality required:
- Support cascading order of author and user style sheets specified in CSS2.
- Allow the user to add at least one user style sheet to the cascade order
Minimum functionality required is the range of colors supported by the
current display settings for both foreground and background colors. This maybe
acheivable by inheritting operating system display/accessibility settings. The
system should not allow the user to set the same color for foreground and
background.
Minimum functionality required is at least one of the following options:
- Draw a border around the item with focus. The user should be able to adjust
the border style, thickness and color.
- Change the color of the item with focus. The user should be able to adjust
the color used for focus. For images and other bitmaps that can receive focus
allow the color to be used as filter (like a looking through tinted glasses).
How view ports open: dont' move focuss
Minimum functionality required is the ability to configure how focus changes
to windows that are not specifically requested by the user. See techniques for
various ways to provide the user with control over focus changes.
Controlling number of view ports: just say no, prompt, normal
This may need to be deleted, but the minimum requirement is that new windows
inherits the user preferences for accessibility of the current window. If this
is the minimum requirement then the checkpoint should be changed to all
windows, not just ones that are unexpected.
Guideline 5. Observe system conventions and standard interfaces.
5.1 Provide programmatic read access to HTML and XML content by conforming
to the W3C Document Object Model (DOM) Level 2 Core and HTML modules and
exporting the interfaces they define. [Priority 1]
Minimum requirements is self-explanatory. Exporting the interface should use
platform conventions (i.e. COM for windows, Remote procedure calls in
UNIX,
)
5.2 If the user can modify HTML and XML content through the user interface,
provide the same functionality programmatically by conforming to the W3C
Document Object Model (DOM) Level 2 Core and HTML modules and exporting the
interfaces they define. [Priority 1]
Minimum requirements: User should be able to set the values of elements or
element attributes that can change based on input from the user: For example,
if the user can only interact with HTML form controls then the requirement is
to allow assistive technology to change the VALUE attribute of an INPUT element
or the content of a TEXTAREA element block.
5.3 For markup languages other than HTML and XML, provide programmatic
access to content using standard APIs (e.g., platform-independent APIs and
standard APIs for the operating system). [Priority 1]
Minimum requirements:
See operating system accessibility API information for requirements. If not
accessibility APIs are available assistive technologies will need to rely on
support from standard input and output APIs.
5.4 Provide programmatic access to Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) by
conforming to the W3C Document Object Model (DOM) Level 2 CSS module and
exporting the interfaces it defines. [Priority 3]
Minimum Requirements:
Minimum functionality required is self-explanatory. Exporting the interface
should use platform conventions (i.e. COM for windows, Remote procedure calls
in UNIX,
)
5.5 Provide programmatic read and write access to user agent user interface
controls using standard APIs (e.g., platform-independent APIs such as the W3C
DOM, standard APIs for the operating system, and conventions for programming
languages, plug-ins, virtual machine environments, etc.) [Priority 1]
Minimum requirements:
See operating system accessibility API information for requirements. If
accessibility API is not available assistive technologies will need to rely on
support from standard input and output APIs. (Checkpoint 1.2)
5.6 Implement selection, content focus, and user interface focus
mechanisms. [Priority 1]
Minimum requirements:
See operating system and accessibility APIs for selecting an object and
giving an object focus. If accessibility API is not available assistive
technologies will need to rely on support from standard APIs for indicating
focus and selection.
5.7 Provide programmatic notification of changes to content and user
interface controls (including selection, content focus, and user interface
focus). [Priority 1]
Minimum requirements:
See operating system accessibility API information for requirements and
support DOM level 2 event notification APIs. If accessibility API is not
available assistive technologies will need to rely on support from standard
input and output APIs.
5.8 Ensure that programmatic exchanges proceed in a timely manner.
[Priority 2] See techniques document for relevant techniques.
Things to think about:
- Interfaces to accessibility information should be as time efficient as
possible.
If the operating system allows for configuration of some or all of the style
information specified in guideline 3 and 4 the user agent should inherit the
information for its default style sheet. The user agent should also be
compatible with other accessibility features like sticky keys, mouse keys,
filter keys, serial keys and any other accessibility feature supported by the
operating system. See operating system documentation for specific information
on a particular operating system.
Guideline 6. Implement accessible specifications.
6.1 Implement the accessibility features of supported specifications
(markup languages, style sheet languages, metadata languages, graphics formats,
etc.). [Priority 1]
Requirements can be found in accessibility notes for supported langauges
6.2 Use and conform to W3C Recommendations when they are available and
appropriate for a task. [Priority 2]
Requirements can be found in W3C recommendations
Guideline 7. Provide navigation mechanisms.
7.1 Allow the user to navigate viewports (including frames). [Priority 1]
Types of things to think about in WIMP interfaces for conformance:
- Frames with in a windows
- Multiple document windows
- Split windows
- History list windows
- Favorites list windows
- Full keyboard support (see checkpoint 1.4)
- Multiple pane dialog boxes (complex dialog boxes)
- Any other view ports
7.2 For user agents that offer a browsing history mechanism, when the user
returns to a previous viewport, restore the point of regard in the viewport.
[Priority 1]
Types of things to think about in WIMP interfaces for conformance:
- Content displayed in view port
- Selected elements of the resource
- User interface control with the current focus
- States of form controls (values and content)
- State variables of a script
- Position in a audio, video or other multi-media resource
- User styles sheets applied
- States of rendering variables in a audio, video or other multi-media
resource
Minimum requirement:
- Allow the user to sequentially navigate all active elements of a resource
(TAB key on popular browsers such as IE and NN)
It is expected that a user agent would provide additional functionality
above the minimum requirement.
Minimum requirement:
- Allow the user to sequentially navigate all active elements of a resource
(TAB key on popular browsers such as IE and NN)
It is expected that a user agent would provide additional functionality
above the minimum requirement.
7.5 Allow the user to search for rendered text content, including rendered
text equivalents. [Priority 2]
Things to think about:
- Are alternative equivalents currently being rendered.
- Are contents of longdesc reference part of content searched.
Minimum functional requirement:
- Allow the user to sequentially navigate (through rendering in the current
view port) the human recognizable structure defined by the resourced
specifications the user agent supports. For example in HTML there are header
elements and other definitions defined for human understanding.
- If there are no structural conventions defined or implied in the resourced
for human understanding, use the programmatic structure defined by the resource
specifications.
Minimum requirement:
- Allow the user to choose which elements of a resource they would like to
navigate in 7.6. The configuration would allow some elements to be skipped.
Guideline 8: Orient the user
Minimum requirement for WIMP based environments:
- 1. Provide access to information that can provide an overview of the table
through the user interface. In HTML this includes the summary attribute of
TABLE and the CAPTION element available through the user interface. Summary
attribute information could be made available through a context menu.
- 2. Provide information of the relationships between author supplied
information on table headers and data cells. This can be acommplished by WIMP
based interfaces using standard rendering and using a different style (font,
color, ... ) to distiguish author supplied header information from data
information.
Minimum requirement for WIMP based environments:
- Allow the user to configure the rendering style (color, font,...) of
visited and unvisted links.
- Make available the information programmitically through an API (Guideline
5)
Minimum requirement for WIMP based environments:
- Allow the user to configure the rendering style (color, font,...) of a link
that has markup that indicated following it will result in a fee.
- Make available the information programmitically through an API (Guideline
5)
Minimum requirement for WIMP based environments:
- Allow the user to get information on the type of link (HTML, PDF, ...)
- Allow the user to get information on whether the link is internal or
external
- Allow the user to get the title of the resource referenced by the link
- Make available the information programmitically through an API (Guideline
5)
8.5 Provide a mechanism for highlighting and identifying (through a
standard interface where available) the current viewport, selection, and
content focus. [Priority 1]
Things to think about for WIMP based environments:
- Window border style (color, thinkness, ...)
- Window title bar style (color, fonts,...)
- Control in window has user focus
Minimum requirement for WIMP based environments:
- Allow the user to sequentially navigate (through rendering in the current
view port) the human recognizable structure defined by the resourced
specifications the user agent supports. For example in HTML there are header
elements and other definitions defined for human understanding.
- If there are no structural conventions defined or implied in the resourced
for human understanding, use the programmatic structure defined by the resource
specifications.
8.7 Provide a mechanism for highlighting and identifying active elements
(through a standard interface where available). [Priority 2]
Things to think about in a WIMP environment:
- Allow the user to change the style of active elements (color, font,
borders, ... )
- Use of APIs to export the information to assistive technology (Guideline5
and Guideline 1)
Minimum requirement:
- Allow the user to choose which elements of a resource they would like to
view in 8.6. The configuration would allow some elements to not be rendered.
8.9 Allow the user to configure what information about links to present.
[Priority 3]
Things to think about:
- Allow the user to configure which information is actuially presented to the
user, from the link information that the user agent recognizes or generates for
a link. This is related to checkpoint 8.4.
Guideline 9. Notify the user of content and viewport changes.
9.1 Ensure that when the selection or content focus changes, it is in a
viewport after the change. [Priority 2]
Things to think about in a WIMP interface:
- When there is a change in selection is part of the current view port
- When there is a change in focus the element that has focus is in the
current view port.
9.2 Prompt the user to confirm any form submission triggered indirectly,
that is by any means other than the user activating an explicit form submit
control. [Priority 2]
Things to think about in a WMIP interface:
- Before submiting a form, prompt the user. This is similar to browsers
checking for security.
9.3 Allow the user to configure notification preferences for common types
of content and viewport changes. [Priority 3]
Things to think about for WIMP interfaces:
- Frames
- Changes in content due to scripting
- Changes in style due to scripting
- Animated GIFs
9.4 When loading content (e.g., document, image, audio, video, etc.)
indicate what proportion of the content has loaded and whether loading has
stalled. [Priority 3]
Things to think about for WIMP interfaces:
- Text equivalents in status bars of graphical indicators of loading status
- Using standard controls for indicating loading status for access by
assistive technologies
9.5 Indicate the relative position of the viewport in rendered content
(e.g., the percentage of an audio or video clip that has been played, the
percentage of a Web page that has been viewed, etc.). [Priority 3]
Things to think about WIMP interfaces:
- Standard scroll bars (API access)
- Adjustable style scollbars (colors, width, borders ...)
Guideline 10. Allow configuration and customization.
10.1 Provide information to the user about current user preferences for
input configurations (e.g., keyboard or voice bindings). [Priority 1]
Things to think about:
- Documentation
- View port showing current keyboard bindings
10.2 Avoid default input configurations that interfere with operating
system accessibility conventions. [Priority 1]
Things to think about:
- Check operating system style guidelines for conventions for using keyboard
short cuts and pointing devices.
10.3 Provide information to the user about current author-specified input
configurations (e.g., keyboard bindings specified in content HTML with the
"accesskey" attribute). [Priority 2]
Things to think about:
- View port showing current author specified keyboard bindings that are
recognized by the user agent
10.4 Allow the user to change the input configuration. [Priority 2]
Things to think about for WIMP interfaces:
- Allow the user to change keyboard bindings to funcitons and pointer
operations
10.5 Allow the user to configure the user agent so that the user's
preferred one-step operations may be activated with a single input command
(e.g., key stroke, voice command, etc.). [Priority 2]
Things to think about:
- Allow the user to assign single key (does not require modifier) to access a
sub set of user agent functionality (not all functions can be made accessible
through a single key).
- Major issue is in text boxes, when single keys are used to enter text
information. In this case the single key activations are disabled.
10.6 Follow operating system conventions to indicate the input
configuration. [Priority 2]
Things to think about in WIMP interfaces:
- Menu conventions for indicating keyboard short cuts
- Dialog box conventions for indicating keyboard short cuts
- Including keyboard short information in "tooltip" information
10.7 For the configuration requirements of this document, allow the user to
save user preferences in a profile. [Priority 2]
Things to think about:
- Allow the user to export or save a transportable file or resource
containing information related to the configuration specifications in these
guidelines
- Allow the user to import or load a file or resource containing information
related to the configuration specifications in these guidelines
10.8 Ensure that frequently used functionalities are easily activated in
the default input configuration. [Priority 3]
Things to think about:
- Identify frequently used functions based on user observation and make sure
they require one key or one key with a modifier for activation.
Minimum requirement for WIMP interface:
- Allow the user to change the number, position and functions of the buttons
on available tool bars
- Allow the user to change the order and remove/add items in pull down menus
- Allow the user to restore default menu and toolbar configuration (cross
reference to checkpoint 10.7)
Guideline 11. Provide accessible product documentation and help.
11.1 Provide a version of the product documentation that conforms to the
Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 1.0 [WCAG10]. [Priority 1]
Things to think about:
- Use open standards like HTML to develop documentaiton for all users and
follow the Web Contect Accessibility Guidelines
- Documentation includes more than just user operation manual, it includes
any information use to help users install, operate or trouble shoot the
software.
11.2 Document all user agent features that promote accessibility. [Priority
1]
Things to think about:
- For example, review the documentation or help system to ensure that it
includes information about the accessibility features discussed in this
document.
- Test the usability of the user agent with people with different types of
disabilities and ask them what feratures are most important to them.
11.3 Document the default input configuration (e.g., default keyboard
bindings). [Priority 1]
Things to think about for WIMP interfaces:
- Document keyboard short cuts is an important issue for people with
disabilities. Allow uses to easily access information on keyboard support.
11.4 In a dedicated section of the documentation, describe all features of
the user agent that promote accessibility. [Priority 2]
Things to think about for WIMP interfaces:
- Document keyboard short cuts
- Document how to change colors
- Document how to change font style and size
- Document how to turn features on and off
- Document how to add and change user style sheets
- Document how to access alternative content
- Document how to configure changes in window focus
- Create an index of features that is useful to a particular disability
(blind, low vision, movement impairment)
- Test documentation with user with disabilities
11.5 Document changes between software releases. [Priority 2]
Things to think about for WIMP interfaces:
- Document changes in keyboard short cuts
- Document changes in menus