Alwyn
My perception from reading lots of funding applications to ACE for arts lottery grants bears out what you suggest. It seems that people think they need apps, but aren't sure why, when you press them on it. Some of this might have to do with not thinking in a long term way about how digital as a programming theme fits into the rest of the venue or institution development direction. I have met quite a few culture orgs with flashy but obsolete microsites or apps, whose main web presence is still five years out of date and not mobile friendly.
When we discuss apps with artists or culture orgs considering a funding application, the first questions from me are usually around digital lifecycle, legacy and where the project idea fits into the bigger institutional picture. Arts Council England is becoming increasingly interested in sustainability and green issues, and one or two organisations that we fund are taking digital sustainability really seriously. Blast Theory, who I work with, have set their barrier really high and are keen to use systems that might be open source, re-usable and have a long lifespan. They often go back to older works and remake them.
Digital lifecycles are an interesting subject in this context; funders may well be thinking about how long a digital project might last in the public space. A three to six month lifespan for an app is not unusual, which might be short in terms of publicly funded digital content, but then, it might be part of a longer term development programme. Often though, people I talk with who are proposing apps are only seeing their project as a one-off, and that does make the lifecycle of the project shorter, and the funding decision harder.
JP
Jon Pratty
Relationship Manager, Creative Media
Arts Council England
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-----Original Message-----
From: Museums Computer Group [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Alwyn Collinson
Sent: 30 January 2015 10:48
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: [MCG] Is Web Accessibility still a thing?
I agree that techies (at least all the ones I've talked to) tend to push back against apps for the reasons Neil mentions (accessibility) but also cost, future-proofing, and being frankly unnecessary - I think you have to have a really good reason for using a custom app rather than a well-designed responsive website. I think a lot of pressure comes from decision-makers often peripherally involved in implementation who have a perception that "apps are the thing". Hopefully we have good arguments to convince people to pursue good web stuff instead. Anyone had to defuse an app attack?
Obviously if your app enhances user experience significantly (and couldn't be replaced by a site, eg. on a big or old site with no wifi) this doesn't apply.
Alwyn Collinson
Project Officer, Waterloo 200
National Army Museum
Royal Hospital Road, Chelsea
London SW3 4HT
Extension: 0207 881 2430
Email: [log in to unmask]
On 30 Jan 2015, at 10:32, Mia wrote:
> That's interesting, because more often than not the 'techies' I hear from say apps have been foisted upon them by their marketing departments. Who *is* asking for apps then?
>
> Cheers, Mia
>
> Sent from my handheld computing device
>
>> On 30 Jan 2015, at 09:42, Neil Rathbone <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
>>
>> Good point Nick.
>>
>> I think that we are actually getting worse due, to not thinking of
>> accessible as integral with digital.
>>
>> The popularity of native apps as a 'must have' for some museums
>> actually goes against accessibility since you have to have the right
>> manufacturers phone/OS to access it.
>>
>> I know that some professional interpreters are worried by this, while
>> 'techies' seem to be quite happy to promote native apps on the back of
>> hype in the media.
>>
>> We recently wrote an article about accessibility and digital interpretation
>>
>> http://www.info-point.eu/content/accessibility-special-edition.html
>>
>> in which we try to touch on some of the issues, including promoting
>> web apps that are fundamentally more accessible and often do
>> everything the museum actually wants.
>>
>> Regards
>>
>> Neil Rathbone
>>
>>>
>>> ------------------------------
>>>
>>> Date: Thu, 29 Jan 2015 09:26:54 +0000
>>> From: Nick Poole <[log in to unmask]>
>>> Subject: Is Web Accessibility still a thing?
>>>
>>> Dear MCG'ers,
>>>
>>> The discussion over the past few days has prompted me to return to the question of where 'web accessibility' fits into peoples' priorities these days.
>>>
>>> Back in the day, when the Disability Discrimination Act was fresh and new and initiatives like Bobby and the W3C Web Content Accessibility Guidelines were in the ascendant, we spent lot of time beating ourselves up about 'AAA' or 'AA' compliance.
>>>
>>> Then, slightly inevitably, there was a bit of a backlash as people came to realise that machine-processed accessibility was not the same as human accessibility. At roughly the same time, the dominant narrative came to be about Universal Design and the idea that rather than designing specific experiences for specific audiences, we ought to be using web standards (HTML4 and CSS - remember them!?) to create universally accessible, liquid interfaces that played nice on screens and mobiles. I sat in a *lot* of meetings with web development companies who would eye roll when web accessibility came up and then dismiss it with 'our world-class coders make code that's so silky smooth, it laughs at your puny guidelines'.
>>>
>>> Now, with the power and flexibility of HTML5 and the rise of mobile-first, responsive design, we certainly have much nicer interfaces (generally speaking). Screen readers are smarter, their users more experienced and fiddly keys are gradually being replaced by the elegance of swipe and pinch.
>>>
>>> I worry, though, that accessibility in general, and more specifically taking positive and proactive steps to meet users halfway if they have specific needs, has taken something of a back seat. I heard yesterday that the number of museums with 'provisional' as opposed to full Accreditation status has increased significantly, and that many are being asked to improve both their access provision and the quality of information they provide about accessibility - which increasingly means online.
>>>
>>> I am hoping that people are going to tell me that web accessibility, both in a 'universal' and a specific sense, is still high on the list when you are specifying and developing web projects, but it has been a long time (until this thread) since I have seen anyone talk about it as a high-profile commitment - with the obvious exception of the excellent work of the Jodi Awards. Also, while I have seen people mention technical (ie. web standards) accessibility, I really haven't seen anything about intellectual accessibility since around 2004.
>>>
>>> So - my question to the list: is web accessibility still a thing? If not, why not? If so, has it simply gone to ground as an embedded part of the development process?
>>>
>>> All best,
>>>
>>> Nick
>>>
>>> Nick Poole
>>> Chief Executive
>>> Collections Trust
>>> Tel: +44 (0)20 7942 6080
>>> [log in to unmask]<[log in to unmask]>
>>
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