Yes, I know that I said the last one was a last word, but I had a few
spare minutes this morning and thought I'd put this together as it might
be useful - hope you find it so. Here are three ways to really improve
the site which will be relatively quick and simple and make absolutely
no difference to the way it looks for the majority of users. None of
them are rocket science and I recognise you might be following them up
already, but I think they bear repeating...
1. Take a look at your 'alt' text: Good alt text does not have to
describe what it refers to; rather it should be an aesthetic and
functional equivalent of the non-text element – usually short and
snappy. Longer descriptions should be linked to via the longdesc
attribute instead. In particular, items such as spacer images should
have alt="" rather than alt="spacer". Most screen readers will then
ignore them, rather than reading out the word 'spacer'. Try to avoid
phrases like 'click here' as a) it increases the length of the alt text
and b) most people who rely on the alt text for navigation will not be
using a mouse and find the phrase really rather irritating. When you've
changed it, ensure that your alt text makes sense by testing your pages
in a text only browser such as Lynx, or in Opera with the images turned
off; test again in a screen reader such as PWWebSpeak (a free download)
or IBM Home Page Reader (free demo version available to download).
2. Implement an invisible 'skip navigation' link at the top of each
page: The simplest way to do this is to use a 1pixel by 1pixel image
with no border as the link with the alt text 'Skip Navigation' - this
would link to the start of the main content of the page. The idea
behind this is that people using screen readers will not have to sit and
listen to the entire list of navigation links every time they load a
page.
3. Rewrite the text on the 'Accessibility' page: At the moment it tells
people how to turn on and off Javascript but doesn't mention why on
earth they would want to. It also only lists older browsers - no
mention of how to make the changes on IE6 or Netscape 7 which the
majority of the users will be using.
Cheers,
Paul
-----Original Message-----
From: Museums Computer Group [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of
Ellis Mike
Sent: 15 June 2004 17:07
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: Launch of www.ingenious.org.uk
Paul
Unfortunately I didn't have the time to take part in the previous
discussion, but watched it go past - partly with interest, partly with a
"oh
here we go again" feeling that often accompanies this debate.
What we wanted to do with Ingenious was to step outside the norm and
create
a site that not only had great, interesting content and showcased a
number
of our objects, but also did what most Museum sites often fail to
believe is
important - make it look good as well.
The point I've often wanted to make as I watched the "accessibility"
discussion roll by is that we have a responsibility to accessibility -
yes,
to the <2% of people who view our sites with something other than IE;
but
ALSO to the >90% of people who view them *with* all the necessary
plug-ins,
browsers, etc
The first thing that makes me - and probably the vast majority of human
beings with any kind of appreciation of layout, look and feel or colour
-
turn away from "yet another Museum website" is when it looks horrible.
And
so, so many of them do.
The common response at this point is "well, the two aren't mutually
exclusive - why can't it be accessible AND look great?". It's a good
point
well made, except I really haven't seen a great number of examples where
it
happens. Net result, ANOTHER website with potentially great content that
works in every browser under the sun but that *looks really, really
horrible* and, also important, doesn't do anything NEW.
My second point (that was number one...) is - of course it passes NOF
guidelines - it had to. The whole of the site passes W3C validation for
HTML4.0 (even Create! - see
http://validator.w3.org/check?uri=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ingenious.org.uk%2Fcr
eate
%2F). The one exception is the homepage, and we're working on that as we
speak.
Third point - it's a work in progress, as any good site should be - not
only
are we tweaking the code and navigation, we also do rigorous summative
evaluation which will pick up on any further issues and bring them back
into
future phases. Any comments from MCG about Ingenious - and I'm sure
there
will be some - will of course be fed back into the loop.
Let's get out of the rut of killing ourselves for 2% of our audience AT
THE
EXPENSE of the other 98%. This obviously doesn't mean we should ignore
the
2%, but let's move the focus. Then we might stand a chance of building
some
museum websites that really do some funky stuff. If we don't, I believe
that
the MCG forum is in danger of becoming very negative, rather than a
useful
place to discuss new ideas and concepts.
Regards
Mike Ellis
_________________
Web Site Manager
Science Museum
Exhibition Road
London, SW7 2DD
01225 835 447
Please note new email address: [log in to unmask]
[existing address will continue to work for forseeable future]
http://www.sciencemuseum.org.uk
http://www.danacentre.org.uk
http://www.ingenious.org.uk
-----Original Message-----
From: Paul Ratcliffe [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
Sent: 15 June 2004 15:36
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: Launch of www.ingenious.org.uk
here we go again... Looks lovely in Internet Explorer 6 for PC but for
starters the 'Create' section looks terrible in Netscape 7 and is
completely
unreadable in Opera. I haven't the time to start on the accessibility
issues - why doesn't everyone just read all the e-mails following the
launch
of the Take One Picture site again...
Paul
-----Original Message-----
From: Museums Computer Group [mailto:[log in to unmask]]On Behalf Of
Ellis Mike
Sent: 15 June 2004 15:06
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Launch of www.ingenious.org.uk
Celebrating human ingenuity - Ingenious has arrived!
Wednesday 9th June marked the launch of www.ingenious.org.uk, a stunning
online resource including over 30,000 objects and pictures taken from
the
Science Museum, the National Museum of Photography, Film & Television
and
the National Railway Museum.
Celebrating and exploring the many feats of human ingenuity that have
shaped
our lives, www.ingenious.org.uk is a fascinating and absorbing insight
into
science and culture for everybody interested in human invention.
Ingenious.org.uk offers users:
> Read - In-depth articles across a range of subjects from 'The Nature
And
History Of Addiction' to 'Is War The Mother Of Invention?
> Debate - Online discussions, including 'Should the state pay to make
ugly
people beautiful?' led by comedian and actor, Mat Fraser.
> See - Access to over 30,000 images from NMSI collections - many are
previously unseen
> Create - Create your own image library and send e-cards
www.ingenious.org.uk is the result of an unprecedented collaboration
between
the three museums that together form the National Museum of Science &
Industry (NMSI). The site has been backed with more than £1 million in
lottery good causes money from the New Opportunities Fund.
NMSI invites you to log on and browse the site...enjoy!
Regards
Mike Ellis
_________________
Web Site Manager
Science Museum
Exhibition Road
London, SW7 2DD
01225 835 447
Please note new email address: [log in to unmask]
[existing address will continue to work for forseeable future]
http://www.sciencemuseum.org.uk
http://www.danacentre.org.uk
http://www.ingenious.org.uk
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