A Holistic Approach To Web Usability, Accessibility And Interoperability: Tools That Can Help

1
A Holistic Approach To Web Usability,
Accessibility And InteroperabilityTools That
Can Help
http//www.ukoln.ac.uk/web-focus/events/conference
s/ili-2005/workshop/
Talk 2

• Brian Kelly
• UKOLN
• University of Bath
• Bath
• Email B.Kelly_at_ukoln.ac.uk

The talk in which we describe some of the tools
which can help us to identify problems and
potential examples of 'Web rage'
UKOLN is supported by
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Background

• Problems
• You've identified some problem areas for users of
  Web sites
• Functionality it doesn't work
• Usability it's difficult for me to use
• Accessibility it's difficult for people with
  disabilities to use
• Solutions
• Now let's look at some solutions to these
  problems
• Tools that can help
• Processes that can help
• A Quality Assurance (QA) framework

3
Tools Functionality (1)
Tools

• HTML, CSS, Validation
• Web page doesn't look right in my browser
• First thing validate page!

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Tools Functionality (2)

• Link Checking
• Clear need to ensure links work
• Many tools available

• Validated part of my Web area
• Findings
• 12,514 Web pages!
• Only checked internal links
• Large no. of errors but vast majority false
  errors
• Some errors found in areas provided by others
• Others my fault and mostly fixed

• Issues
• We can't always rely on tools
• Why weren't errors spotted previously?
• What to do with large no. of errors?

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Tools Missing Functionality

• A Web site may not be usable because
• The features it provides can't easily be used
• It omits features which are needed in order to be
  used
• Example
• A search facility

• Issues
• Does your Web site have a search facility
• How well does it work?
• Note that free third party search facilities may
  be useful if you have limited resources

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Tools Accessibility
Tools

• Many accessibility testing tools are available

WebXact (formally known as Bobby) is probably the
best known

• NOTES
• Automated tools can't detect all (many?)
  accessibility problems
• Findings from tools can be inconsistent
• Underlying WAI guidelines are open to
  interpretation

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Tools Usability Of The Tools (1)
http//www.ukoln.ac.uk/qa-focus/documents/briefin
gs/,rvalidate

• There can be usability barriers to regular use of
  such testing tools
• They require going to Web page, copying and
  pasting URL, etc
• Sometimes only single pages can be tested
• Simple solution
• On UKOLN Web site can append ,tools to any URL to
  run various tools on page
• Simple to implement see QA Focus briefing no. 59

Tools ,validate ,rvalidate ,checklink ,rchecklink
,cssvalidate
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Tools Usability Of The Tools (2)

• 'Bookmarklets' and Firefox extensions can make
  use of tools much easier and provide additional
  features

• Web Developer allows
• Features disabled
• Additional information to be provided
• Tools to be used

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Quality Assurance

• The tools aren't sufficient by themselves. Also
  need
• Documented policies so we know what we're
  expected to check for
• Systematic procedures for checking that we are
  implementing our policies
• Enhancements made to workflow processes, and not
  just fixing individual problems
• In addition it can be useful to have
• Audit trails to spot trends and identify
  possible problems in workflow processes (e.g. new
  tools deployed, new staff involved, )
• Sharing experiences, so that we and others can
  learn

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QA Examples (1)

• Example of QA policies procedures for file
  formats

Policy for QA Focus Web site
Policy The Web site will use XHTML 1.0 and CSS
2.0 standards ArchitectureThe Web site will be
based on XHTML templates and use of
SSIs Monitoring New and updated pages validated
using ,validate and ,cssvalidate. Every month
,rvalidate will be used record
kept Exceptions HTML derived automatically
(e.g. Save As HTML in PowerPoint) need not comply
with standards. The files will be stored in a
standard directory to enable such files to be
excluded from checks.
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QA Examples (2)

• Example of QA policies procedures for links

Policy for QA Focus Web site
Policy QA Focus will seek to ensure that links
are functional. Monitoring New and updated
pages checked using ,checklink and ,rchecklink.
Every month ,rchecklink will be used record
kept and quarterly Xenu will be used. Exceptions
Links in "publications" (e.g. papers which are
formally published) which become broken may not
be fixed. If there are large numbers of broken
links which would be time-consuming to fix we may
not fix them. We make no commitment to fix
broken links once the QA Focus funding finishes.
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Conclusions

• To conclude
• Tools can help in identifying problems areas
• However tools may be flawed and inconsistent
• In order to make tools easier to use they can be
  accessed (a) using a URL interface or (b) within
  the browser
• Systematic use as part of a QA framework is
  desirable

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Questions

• Any questions or comments?

• Issues
• How useful are the tools?
• What are their limitations?
• What else is needed?