Accessible Layouts

[kaigou]

Title:
Accessible Layouts

Area:
Identifying accessible layouts

Summary:
It'd be good to make it easier on folks with vision issues (or who use handhelds) so they can quickly and easily find layouts suited to their purposes.

Description:
I presume eventually DW will follow LJ's path of having provided layouts tagged (seasonal, colorful, minimal, etc). I think there needs to be a tag for users with vision issues, so they can quickly and easily find layouts that are usable with screen readers, screen magnifiers, even handheld devices. (The latter two work best with single-column layouts.)

The same tag, or an overlapping tag (meaning some layouts would qualify as both), would sort out the high-contrast or reverse layouts (stark white on black, stark white on wordperfect blue). Then another tag for layouts with default fonts greater than 14px, and a tag for low-contrast layouts, for users who actually *get* vision problems from too many high-contrast designs.

So there's the categories: vision-accessible, high contrast, low contrast, single-column, and large-font. If I were really dreaming, I'd suggest DW contact its user-comm for blind/vision-impaired users and invite them to be panelists/judges for reviewing/nominating which layouts are "screen-reader-friendly" versus "screen-magnifier-friendly". That way, layouts with that designation really are tested as being good for those purposes, and not just because a good-vision person (like me) says it looks like it satisfies the basic requirements.

(For more info and a great example of designing vision-friendly, see the BBC's info pages on accessible layouts: http://www.bbc.co.uk/accessibility/. It's a wealth of information.)

Poll #998 Accessible Layouts

Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 47

View Respondents

This suggestion:

View Answers

Should be implemented as-is.
42 (89.4%)

Should be implemented with changes.
2 (4.3%)

Shouldn't be implemented.
0 (0.0%)

(I have no opinion)
3 (6.4%)

(Other: please comment)
0 (0.0%)