7 Incorporating ARIA into Web Toolkit

Jan Vystrcil Czech Technical University in Prague Faculty of Electrical Engineering Czech Republic Incorporating ARIA into Web Toolkit

Outline
RIA and ARIA
Sample application
Development process
Testing process

RIA
What is Rich Internet Application (RIA)?
New approach on Internet
Websites look more like desktop applications
Online documents
E-mail
Instant messaging
Calendar
Social networking
Number of RIA rapidly increasing
Possible benefits for handicapped people working with Internet

RIA +/-
RIA pros
Higher comfort
Suggestions
Immediate feedback
Better user experience
Drag&Drop
Sophisticated components (tree, collapsible panel)
Dynamics
Chat
Shared data
Collaboration
RIA cons
Not transparent
Many concurrent changes
Complex components
Unclear structure
Content (not in HTML)
Semantics in code of scripts
Problematic keyboard navigation
Difficult controlling of components
Dependency on JavaScript

WAI-ARIA
RIA is less accessible than "standard" web pages
How this can be solved?
Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI)
part of W3C consortium
Accessible Rich Internet Application suite of W3C (WAI-ARIA)
Working draft
Recommendations on how to make RIA accessible
Additional metadata
Bring back the semantics into HTML code
No restrictions on current functionality

a11y issues tackled by ARIA
Keyboard-only operation impossible
Orientation in content
Missing appropriate labels
Hiding of some content without announcement
Tab panels
Collapsible panels
Controlling of UI components
Wrong or missing tab order
Focus stacking or disappearing
Wrong or missing status announcement
Checkbox
Radio Button
Slider
aria-labeledby aria-expanded tabindex checked

Introduction of sample application
Web e-mail client: http:// www.myaccessiblemail.com

SAMPLE 1 Without accessibility

SAMPLE 2 With accessibility

Introduction of sample application

Making ARIA from RIA not so easy as it looks :-)

Problems of implementation a11y into RIA
Development process
Low motivation of developers
Insufficient knowledge of a11y rules
Extra work
Time & Budget restrictions
Testing process
Isolated components testing
Sighted developers/testers used for testing
Real accessibility
Various browsers
Various screen readers
cca 40 custom options in JAWS
scripting in Orca

Development process
Incorporating of ARIA into UI components of RIA toolkit
Saving majority of redundant work
Many RIA toolkits trying ARIA implementation
Not solving all a11y issues
Embedded components often working differently than single components
Some ARIA markup depends on concrete implementation of RIA application
Need of special developer tool
Facilitation of ARIA development process
Familiarization of a11y

First testing of web toolkits
Performed in first half of 2009
3 Open source RIA toolkits
Dojo, ExtJS, ICEfaces
20 developers
Developed simple real live applications
Evaluated with screen reader
Found a11y issues in 30 components
Total of issues was more than 100

First testing of web toolkits
Testing on small real live application
No testing of standalone components
final application a11y not ensured
Systematical testing of all combinations of components impossible
Sighted developers/testers used for testing
Not used to everyday usage of screen readers
Low efficiency and accuracy of testing with screen reader
Know the functionality of application in advance

Second testing with blind users
Maximal accuracy of testing
Still any problems?
Bugs in application
Unsolved accessibility issues
Unknown structure of application
Experienced blind users for testing needed
Direct cooperation of blind user and developer
Automatically generated description of page
Blind user can use it for easier orientation

Conclusion
Integration of support into developer tool needed
User interaction design patterns
Searching
Selection
Navigation
Checking values for ARIA attributes
Checking correct use of ARIA attributes
Section role="application" => no free text

Thank you for attention Jan Vystrcil Czech Technical University in Prague Faculty of Electrical Engineering Czech Republic

7 Incorporating ARIA into Web Toolkit

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