Tips, web design book reviews, resources and observations for teaching and learning web development.
This post simply serves as a summary of the 4 posts published recently that distill the information from the W3C about how the guidelines and principles of WCAG 2.0 apply to mobile devices.
I thought it would be useful to have a single post with links to each of the previous posts. The posts take the 4 POUR principles and explain what they mean in terms of mobile application.
The W3C wants to help developers understand how WCAG 2.0 applies on mobile devices. They recently issued the first working draft on the topic. The guidelines and principles of WCAG are explained using the POUR method: Perceivable, Operable, Understandable, Robust.
In this post I will distill the W3C information on the Robust principle.
Set the virtual keyboard to the type of data entry required.
Make data entry as easy as possible by,
Don’t disable the device’s platform characteristics such as zoom, larger fonts, and captions.
Mobile device image: William Hook
The W3C wants to help developers understand how WCAG 2.0 applies on mobile devices. They recently issued the first working draft on the topic. The guidelines and principles of WCAG are explained using the POUR method: Perceivable, Operable, Understandable, Robust.
In this post I will distill the W3C information on the Understandable principle.
Position important items before the scroll.
When two elements (e.g., an icon and a text link) perform the same action, group both items within the same actionable element.
Actionable elements such as links or buttons should be indicated by more than one means. Use combinations of shape, color, style, positioning, text labels, and conventional iconography.
Provide easily accessible instructions to explain what gestures can be used to control a given interface and whether there are alternatives.
Mobile device image: William Hook
The W3C wants to help developers understand how WCAG 2.0 applies on mobile devices. They recently issued the first working draft on the topic. The guidelines and principles of WCAG are explained using the POUR method: Perceivable, Operable, Understandable, Robust.
In this post I will distill the W3C information on the Operable principle.
These suggestions are for manipulations such as shaking or tilting:
Mobile device image: William Hook
The W3C wants to help developers understand how WCAG 2.0 applies on mobile devices. They recently issued the first working draft on the topic. The guidelines and principles of WCAG are explained using the POUR method: Perceivable, Operable, Understandable, Robust.
In this post I will distill the W3C information for the Perceivable principle.
Guidelines include:
The suggestions include:
Mobile device content is viewed on smaller screens and in different conditions so the allowable ratio for lessened contrast on larger text on desktop devices must be considered carefully for mobile apps. Therefore, the W3C suggestion at this point is that developers should strive to apply the lessened contrast ratio only when text is roughly equivalent to 1.2 times bold or 1.5 times (120% bold or 150%) that of the default platform size. Even then, the user must be able to zoom to magnify the text.
Mobile device image: William Hook
Apple announced changes aimed at education that are coming in iOS 9.3. The changes allow a group of students to share iPads. Faculty will be able to set up profiles for each child in a classroom. Those profiles can then be used on any classroom iPad.
Students log in to any iPad and have access to all their apps, books, and documents.
With Apple iOS 9.3, teachers can guide students through a lesson, see individual progress including what’s on the student’s screen at the moment, and keep them on track. Teachers can project a student’s work on a classroom television equipped with Apple TV with AirPlay.
Teachers can launch everyone’s apps at the same time, then guide what students are looking at on their devices.
On the administrative side, there are tools for creating accounts, setting passwords, managing enrollment information, making bulk purchases of books, and creating and delivering lessons with iTunes U.
I think these changes will be important to educators from the primary school through college level.
Images via Apple.com
The Pew Research Center released a new survey on home broadband use in 2015 that has implications for web designers. The overall finding is that fewer people have home broadband, while more people rely on their smart phones for Internet access.
The changes are slight, but possibly significant. Home broadband adoption has plateaued. It now stands at 67% of Americans, down slightly from 70% in 2013.
The cost of broadband is a major problem cited by many of those surveyed.
24% of Americans do not have cable or satellite. 15% are former subscribers who ‘cut the cord.’ Young adults, in particular, expect to be able to use their smartphones to access almost anything they want, apply for jobs, follow the news, access government services and more.