Real world accessibility
I have blogged before about my multimedia intolerance, but the boyish banter of Boagworld has gradually wormed its way into my life. Season 2 is documenting the redevelopment of the Boagworld site itself, giving an idea of how developers and agencies work as well as demonstrating on the range of skills required. Useful stuff.
The latest podcast was a little broader in scope, looking at the topic of accessibility in the real world. Advice was offered on the latest techniques, but more interesting was the frank and open discussion of how realistic it is to make a site accessible, raising issues you don’t usually find written down. The conclusion was to strive for greater accessibility, avoid complacency but acknowledge the necessity for pragmatism – a balance all web managers must work out for themselves.
Particularly interesting was the interview with accessibility specialist Derek Featherstone, exploring the role of audio transcripts for the Boagworld podcasts. Does anyone want them? Even the banter? Or is offering the content in a different form enough, for example in shownotes, on the grounds that listening is a different experience from reading? Derek favours a full interview transcript, on the grounds that the user should make the decision. Conversely, of course, some people want a concise, well written blogpost, not a transcript or a one hour podcast.
Apparently when asked the Boagworld audience splits 50:50 into liking the boyish banter. The moral here is to resist dictating what what your users want – or need. Where possible.
