On Jul 3, 2008, at 2:53 AM, Jack wrote:
Hi all!
A newbie here - Cai Jun Jie. You can also call me Jack!
My teammates and I have been looking at accessibility of Geronimo's
Admin Console. Most people would think that accessibility only
matters for the disabled. Yet some people argue - which I also
mostly agree - that if we make software easily accessible, then it
benefits all the users!
There are already some JIRAs openned against Admin Console's
accessiblity, e.g., GERONIMO-4081, GERONIMO-4080. After a quick
analysis, the top 3 problems we see include -
1. No error messages shown when invalid form data are submitted.
This is a usability issue for all users.
2. No label element defined for form elements. This prevents some
screen reader software from reading HTML forms in a meaningful way.
Screen reader software is a key assisting tools for low-vision people.
3. No ALT attributes defined for images. Similar to Problem 2.
We will be submitting patches to fix Problem 2 & 3. Since there are
so many occurrences, we will divide the patches based on page
groups. We will leave the problems that exist in DOJO though, hoping
that more recent DOJO releases will have most of their problems
resolved.
As to Problem 1, I believe we should define a unified way to present
error messages. For example, for invalid form data, stay on the same
page and present the error message near each form element that has
the invalid input; and for other error (like system error), stay on
the same page and present the error message at the top of the main
content. Or, simply present all kinds of error message at the top of
the main content...
Would be very interested in knowing the community's opinions...
Hi Jack,
Thanks for the information.
I doubt that accessibility was given much (if any) thought during
development of the console. We'll probably need some education about
important factors regarding accessibility. If you have some pointers,
they'd be welcome. Also, it looks like some tools have been used to
identify problems with the console. It would be useful to understand
what these tools are.
From your description above, I think we'd welcome your contributions.
Regarding 1), sounds like a reasonable approach. I think a specific
illustration of your proposal would be useful.
--kevan
