I’m starting to do the occasional PowerPoint presentation. I still favor Keynote, but it’s always good to bone up on other tools. And when I do so, I want to make sure my decks are also accessible.
Dispatches From The Internets
Checking the Reading Order of a PowerPoint Slide
ARIA Widget Checklist For Screen Reader Testing
An excellent test suite from the SSB Bart Group. It’s necessary because…
there are still significant discrepancies between valid ARIA usage and what is supported between specific screen readers and browser combinations, so there is immense benefit for such screen reader venders to get on the same page and test these assistive technologies more thoroughly and to also involve the public for crowd sourcing this feedback for entering more bugs related to these issues.
Building a fully-accessible help tooltip
It takes a lot of thoughtful consideration, research, and testing to build robust interfaces, but once that work is done, you can share your findings and make it simple for others to follow in your footsteps. Sara has kindly done the hard work here and has lovingly provided you with a guided tour on how to make an accessible help tooltip. Thank you Sara!
Writing JavaScript with accessibility in mind
This is an excellent introduction to some of the things you should be considering when writing JavaScript. There is tons of practical and actionable advice in here.
Crossing a Border
If you travel abroad for work, you may have some concerns about border crossings, based on recent news coverage. I know I do. I’m not a lawyer, but I’ve been researching quite a bit and asking for opinions and recommendations. Below is a summary of the advice I’ve been given. I’m providing it here in case it might be of use to you.
How I use Narrator… to help me be a better communicator
Screen readers are a great alternative to reading your work aloud!
Voice User Interface Design: New Solutions to Old Problems
Excellent overview of the current state of voice UX (or headless UX as I often call it). Choice quotes:
[T]he voice user experiences consumers are learning to use today are usually FAR from conversational. We are still in early days.
and
VUIs are life-changing for those who can’t easily adapt themselves for traditional computer use.
Start thinking about this stuff now!
Get started with variable fonts
Typography nerds: variable fonts are the future!
Utilitarianism, Pragmatism/Practicalism, and Perfection
This is an excellent breakdown of general “ethical” philosophies with a solid example of their concrete application in software.
Why iterative development is vital to a successful personalised customer experience
“Treat personalisation as progressive enhancement,” Chris recommends. “Start with good content and a good information architecture that works for all of your audiences. Then start with basic personalisation and build up from there.”