Research and Development Working Group Teleconference

Mobile Accessibility Research Roadmap

JB: be cautions with term roadmap and instead use research roadmap to avoid confusion

SH: yup, we've changed the title to research roadmap

CL: accessibility needs to be built into technology infrastructure so content creators won't have to worry about it.
...historically, mobile/non had healthy collaboration but the current trend is to separate the two which can be expensive/impossible for many organizations - a target with a unified web is important
...another high level challenge is tracking trends online with text and non-text media

JB: mobile for w3c is a priority for the open web platform, html5 is a core piece and many other's for effective use of mobile devices, for WAI also mobile is a priority that crosses all working groups
... existing guidelines for mobile platforms need to have a high mobile/user agent match, such as newer areas of related work in IndieUI. So, some important pieces are missing and important for research in looking ahead
...publicly we haven't done a good job of making mobile/accessibility docs available and if we release only this research note, it may look like this is all we have on mobile/accessibility which isn't the case
...a great deal of research is being done internationally currently, such as at G3CIT. It may be less relevant for rdwg work, because we're promoting existing guidelines but overall is an important area of coordination with WAI
...we may be packaging these resources in one area -or- could be a document that cross-maps areas, rdwg roadmap could be a piece of this

JA: we went through the doc (UA WG) and came up with success criteria that in almost every cases matches with mobile - mobile may become an important element of accessibility testing

JB: mobile is a core issue for W3 - Open web Platform ( a collection of standards)

<shawn> http://www.w3.org/WAI/mobile/

Mobile web in 10 years

MH: research on mobile devices. multimodal interaction...

sensors - how devices is being held, environmental issues.

also, gestures, facial recognition

<Zakim> jeanne, you wanted to add to Mark's in regard to Google Glass and overlays

sh: convergence. desktop and mobile. need to define API and other modalities to work on mobile and desktop. highly decoupled interfaces is the way forward.

jeanne: google glass, gesture oriented.
... must integrate mobile into all standards. Can't be separate.

clayton: important to position work as part of everything - not a separate entity
... mobile is potenially misleading. conveys exclusiviity

judy: +1 to jeanne for integration of standards.
... indie UI work - gestural interaction. Device independent principle from W3 years ago. proper language is important to convey what we are doing.
... make sure folks know how we are framing our message

christos: mobile devices penetrating the environment, allowing other devices to be web enabled and communicte with other devices and people

markel: based on past 10 years... mobile interaction moving to desktop.
... standards lag behind - always reacting.
... need to get better at anticipating the changes. develop mechanisms to shorten reaction times

<clayton> a great point

sharper: how to approach this?

clayton: reinforces push down into tool stack. when innovating that ingredients are accessible
... javascript - probably using jquery - should use the A11y tools in jquery.
... do more work in CMS and make them more accessible and to innovate in the mobile space
... move to innovating in content rather than appearance. what is the substance or interaction rather than appearance

peter: adding mobile to existing spec +1. but how does it happen?
... specs becoming quite long, and harder to understand. need stategies for integration

sharper: recaps, future, harmonization with mobile, etc.

cooper: mobile devices expanding. devices converging. A11Y issues are combining.
... indieUI - genisis in mobile but not specific to mobile.
... tablets - touch screen, also on desktops as well as phones.
... expanding range of devices and interfaces and interactions
... api for compasses, accelerometers, etc. may also move to desktop

mark: haptic feedback on mobile. non-visual access and making information more detectable.
... consistency of experience based on platform and form factor. need research on this.
... find ways to map effects so the experience is equivalent across devices.

<clayton> haptics are likely to be very important for access to non textual content

yeliz: good to review the past.

<clayton> (on any device, not just mobile, to illustrate that point once more)

yeliz: one issue - how to bring in developers. what will they be doing.

markel: how to shorten reaction times. question of awareness - if we see it coming on some device - should anticipate that it will appear on other platforms...plan for it.

sharper: should WAI create groups based on non-a11y groups or shadow them...

<markel> yes, group that do vigilance work…that might work

judy: PF group does this. shadows technical working groups and comments on ~ 20 groups a year.
... a great need for people, expertise to work on these efforts.

<clayton> involving people with disabilities in that work would be especially valuable

judy: enormous in scale. looking for technology agnostics to over arch all specs

shadi: some working groups good at coming to WAI. RDWG has a role in seeing trends/developments and bringing them to groups attention
... 3rd layer, review spec for a11y, track R&D, id issues

sharper +1

markel: need to have a methodology for quicker iterations of specs.

judy: W3 moving more toward agile development. but 15 days with current levels of participation is a challange
... important to get UNDERSTANDING of what is needed and how to move forward.

<Zakim> MichaelC, you wanted to mention community groups

judy: important to respond well, have a core understanding...less emphasis on timing

cooper: community groups is a way to start trending/explore a topic, them bubble up to more established groups

<markel> +1

<christos> +1

<clayton> +1

<yeliz> +1

sharper: Did folks find this useful? should we do this format for more Notes.

<mhakkinen> +1

+1

<shawn> +1 useful (not sure if all topics will have the same input)

<peter> +1 on this being useful

judy: appreciate call. might be relevant for some topics. as the group has a full plate. it is one approach.

<jeanne> +1 appreciated the invite for related groups.

+1 good to collaborate