Hi there,
Could be that this discussion has drifted toward usability rather
than accessibility.
Accessibility considerations would be ensuring that users are
advised of what will happened when they activate the link, either than
the document would be opened in a new window, or that it will be
downloaded. Also that opening a new window does not adversely effect
users accessing a website with assistive technologies (screen readers,
etc.).
As to user expectation, it all depends on context. Some forms of
content, such as blogs and forums are 'riddled' with pop-up windows,
users exposed to such content quickly become familiar with
pop-ups.
As an interface design philosophy, ceding control to the user is
your best bet. (This also extends to enabling text to be resized,
fluid/elastic layout, etc.). In the case of pop-ups, only opening
documents in new windows prevents an experienced user from controlling
the browser behaviour. Indicating that a link will open in a new
window is a good start, providing both a popup and non-popup link may
be safer (see below).
As an aside, some browsers have difficulty opening documents in
new windows, when the document is a not a recognised content type. As
a document like a PDF is not either a 'webpage' or inline content
(such as a GIF or JPEG), the browser may only open a blank window
(without downloading the document).
REFERENCES
Popup windows (Motive Glossary)
Philosophy. Common reasons for using pop-ups, etc.
< http://www.motive.co.nz/glossary/popup.php >
WAI Checkpoint 10.1
Until user agents allow users to turn off spawned windows, do not
cause pop-ups or other windows to appear and do not change the current
window without informing the user.
< http://www.w3.org/WAI/wcag-curric/sam77-0.htm >
So, I told my co-workers that I would throw this out to the standards community. Try to ignore any bias I may have. I would appreciate any honest feedback about whether we should open new windows for .pdf, .doc, .ppt, xls, .visio, or .whatever.
Cheers,
--
Andy Kirkwood | Creative Director
Motive | web.design.integrity
http://www.motive.co.nz
ph: (04) 3 800 800 fx: (04) 970 9693
mob: 021 369 693
93 Rintoul St, Newtown
PO Box 7150, Wellington South, New Zealand
Motive | web.design.integrity
http://www.motive.co.nz
ph: (04) 3 800 800 fx: (04) 970 9693
mob: 021 369 693
93 Rintoul St, Newtown
PO Box 7150, Wellington South, New Zealand
