Comments for That Web Chick http://thatwebchick.com.au web... and stuff Mon, 13 Jul 2009 13:20:16 +1000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 hourly 1 Comment on Accessible or Usable? by Jared Smith http://thatwebchick.com.au/2009/07/accessible-or-usable/comment-page-1/#comment-2 Jared Smith Mon, 13 Jul 2009 13:20:16 +0000 http://thatwebchick.com.au/?p=13#comment-2 The problem is that they do increase usability, but only for a very small audience - those that need bigger text, but don't already have it. But they DECREASE usability and accessibility for EVERYBODY ELSE! A blind user must listen to the widget, a keyboard-only user must navigate them, someone with a cognitive disability must comprehend them (what a stack of A's anyway?), and everybody else must do some combination of the above. For me, the many disadvantages of such widgets will almost always outweigh the minor benefits to some small potential audience. The problem is that they do increase usability, but only for a very small audience – those that need bigger text, but don’t already have it. But they DECREASE usability and accessibility for EVERYBODY ELSE!

A blind user must listen to the widget, a keyboard-only user must navigate them, someone with a cognitive disability must comprehend them (what a stack of A’s anyway?), and everybody else must do some combination of the above.

For me, the many disadvantages of such widgets will almost always outweigh the minor benefits to some small potential audience.

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