Accessible Media Guide

From Education & Outreach
This is outdated. See updated version: Accessible Media Resource

This is outdated. See updated version: Accessible Media Resource

Overview

The previous work combined introductory information, content creation, and a little technical guidance for many different audiences and tasks in a single Tutorial format (old requirements for additional tutorials).

This proposal separates:

  1. introductory information and content creation guidance (details throughout this page)
  2. developer tutorial on the technical aspects of embedding a media player (Notes for Tutorial)

The proposed intro-and-creation resource would live in the IA/nav directly under Design & Develop:

Design & Develop

  • Tips for Writing
  • Tips for Designing
  • Tips for Developing
  • Make Video & Audio Accessible [title to-be-determined]
  • Tutorials ...

Requirements Analysis

Scenario / Use Case Examples

  • [outsource]
    We do lots of videos and have budget to outsource everything. We just want to know what's needed for accessibility so we get the right requirements in our procurement contracts. Also, so we can spot check the videos before we post them online.
  • [podcast]
    I do a podcast every 2 weeks. I need to figure out whether:
    • I'm going to provide captions or just transcripts.
    • I want to outsource them or do them myself.
  • [in-house]
    We do only a couple videos per year, and we have very limited budget. We probably want to do everything ourselves (not outsource). We hope to use student interns to do some of it.
  • [advocate]
    I want to convince XYZ organization to make their media accessible. I want them to realize the importance for people with disabilities and the additional benefits that they get from it (e.g., SEO). It'd be good if from skimming this resource they feel like it's not a huge task.

Audiences and Tasks

  • Project Manager
    • Quickly know what we need to do to meet minimum accessibility requirements,
      and also best practices for optimal accessibility beyond minimums.
    • Help deciding what we're going to do in-house and what we're going to outsource.
  • Content Creator
    • Specific guidance on developing captions myself (including which file format to use).
    • Specific guidance on developing transcripts myself.
    • Specific guidance on developing audio description via a timed text file. [? see "Audio Description via text track" in Specific Open Issues below]
  • Video Creator
    • Understand audio description options.
    • Specific guidance on developing audio description.
    • Considerations for the video itself. [? in scope]
  • Advocate (within an organization, or outside)
    • Show added benefits of captions, transcripts, and audio description beyond accessibility.
  • All roles above, plus more
    • Very brief summary and explanation of what's needed to make audio and video accessible (transcripts, captions, (subtitles), audio description, sign language).

Out of Scope

Fits in developer-focused tutorial, rather than manager- and creator-focused guide:

  • Developer
    • Help deciding which file formats and media player to use.
    • Specific instructions on embedding a media player with captions, audio description, interactive transcript, etc.

Outline

Drafts for EOWG discussion

  • Main has the info primarily for managers all on one page. That makes it a long page.
  • Alt has the info primarily for managers on 3 separate pages. That makes the sub-navigation long and awkwardly inconsistent, as shown in the second column of the table below.
Main - Managing & Standards on 1 page Alt - Managing & Standards on 3 separate pages
  • Making Video and Audio Accessible - Introduction
  • Managing Media & Standards
  • Creating Captions
  • Creating Transcripts
  • Creating Audio Description of Visual Information
  • Creating Video and Audio Content
  • ? Embedding a Media Player
  • ? Accessible Media User Experience
  • Making Video and Audio Accessible - Introduction
  • WCAG Media Standards
  • What Does My Video/Audio Need?
  • Managing Development of Media Alternatives
  • Creating Captions
  • Creating Transcripts
  • Creating Audio Description of Visual Information
  • Creating Video and Audio Content
  • ? Embedding a Media Player
  • ? Accessible Media User Experience

Title

From GitHub 107:

  • In a telecon talking about site redesign, we proposed -- for further consideration -- a clearer title: Accessible Audio and Video Guide
  • After usability testing, we propose the nav be: "Make Audio & Video Accessible"
    Maybe the full document name would be: "Guide to Making Audio & Video Accessible"?

More thoughts & brainstorms:

  • Video or Audio first? Maybe nav: "Make Video & Audio Accessible"
  • "Making Video and Audio Accessible" (closer to nav short-title)
  • "Guide to Accessible Media for Web and Mobile"
  • "How to Make Video and Audio Accessible"

Open issues:

Rough Concept Draft of the content is available. It is not complete or polished.

General

  • Repeating information on sub-pages: Introduction page has basic descriptions, e.g., what captions are. Many users will probably land on a sub-page, e.g., from search engine. They'll also want that info. For example, when landing on the page "Creating Captions", it would be good to have at the top the description of what captions are. Straw proposal: Put the info from the intro in a labelled box so:
    • it's available to users who only read this one page, and
    • it's easy to skip for people who already read it on the intro page.
  • User Experience info: The previous Playing Accessible Media page included some information about the user experience and different options in different players. Is it important for content creators to know? Do we want to include it in this resource? As a separate page, or bits integrated throughout? Or instead, might it be good to provide as guidance to users in the updated Better Web Browsing: Tips for Customizing Your Computer?

Specifics

  • Two levels of transcripts?
    1. just spoken text and important audio info. "transcript of audio information" or "basic transcript" or ???
    2. also with visual/audio description. "descriptive transcript" or ???
  • Referring to video types — Seems we'll want to talk about the main video and the described video. What do we call the first? Brainstorms:
    • main video
    • default video
    • ...
  • disability terminology
    • Probably want to use "people with disabilities" formula in this resource.
    • Thoughts on "people who are Deaf-blind"? Is it understandable enough? Is it likely to offend readers? Would it be better to say "people who are both Deaf and blind"?

Coverage of Options

Background: Some feedback on the tutorials is that there are too many options for how to implement things. Many developers just want to be told what do to.

For this resource, should we:

  • emphasize the suggested approach, and
  • for non-recommended options, not mention them at all or just briefly ?

Specific issues are listed below:

  • Captions formats and presentation
    • How much to cover the different types of presentation: pop-on, roll-up, paint-on (types in previous draft)? If little or no option on the web, then maybe not mention at all.
    • How much to cover the different formats TTML & SRT (formats in previous draft)? If suggesting WebVTT for most cases, then maybe not mention at all, or just briefly.
    • How much to cover authors styling captions (styling in previous draft)? If not supported in common web players, then maybe not mention at all, or just briefly.
  • Description in a Separate Audio File
    • What players support this?
    • "Being that most popular video players and platforms do not support WebVTT description tracks or secondary audio tracks we provide the 3Play Plugin for simplicity." — January 24, 2019
  • Extended Audio Description with SMIL
    • If there is not sufficient support for this &/or it's not the recommended method, then maybe not mention at all, or just briefly.
    • "The only markup-based method for providing extended audio descriptions is to use SMIL 3.0... Support for SMIL is very limited, however: implementations will most likely require the use of plug-ins and/or heavily customized approaches." — previous draft
  • Audio Description via text track
    • If there is not sufficient support for this &/or it's not the recommended method, then maybe not mention at all, or just briefly.
    • "As of February 2019 when this Advisory technique was last reviewed by the Working Group, there is no native support in user agents for this technique. However, support is available via JavaScript polyfills." — WCAG Technique H96

Misc

for shawn:

Misc

Rationales

  • User experience first — In Intro page, under definitions, put who is is used by first because I think that helps understand it better than the description of what it is.
  • External links. Straw proposal is to include basic guidance in this resource and generally say they can find more details elsewhere, and not link to others — because of link rot, competing organizations, not 100% accuracy, etc. — as discussed in EOWG April 2019.

External resources

A select few resources that are from established places and are fairly recent:

Notes for Player Implementation Tutorial

  • Developer Tasks:
    • I need help deciding which file formats and media player to use.
    • I need specific instructions on embedding media player with captions, audio description, interactive transcript, etc.
  • Content: Mostly embedding the player and all the pieces.

Previous WAI Work

Retrieved from "https://www.w3.org/WAI/EO/wiki/index.php?title=Accessible_Media_Guide&oldid=26735"