A recent exchange on Twitter has motivated me to write about the contribution published surveys on web site accessibility make towards understanding and addressing the problems that hold back web accessibility. I’ve read, and continue to read, many, many papers presenting the results of surveys of web sites, and I think we need surveys to look beyond just the data and instead delve more deeply into why the results are as they are. We’ve gone way beyond the point where a paper simply reporting that a study of x web sites from y sector revealed ‘disappointing’ levels of accessibility provides anything more than a minor contribution. Surveys need to look at process not product.
November 15, 2009
Web accessibility surveys – results are frequently disappointing
Posted by David Sloan under Accessibility and Usability | Tags: accessibility, evaluation, research, surveys, web |[4] Comments
August 21, 2009
Design for life part 1
Posted by David Sloan under Accessibility and Usability | Tags: design, ICT, usability, web |Leave a Comment
One of the great things about my job as a researcher with a focus on accessibility and usability is that I can happily justify going all reflective on an everyday event, wondering why it happened, and what could be done to change it in the future – especially if it involves some user interface design quirk or flaw. Recounting this can provide valuable insight and encouragement to improving the quality of interface design – just Ask Tog!
