Re: Designing for WebTV

As a member of the below referenced user group:  I can tell you with some certainty that the number
of net users with special needs is trending slowly and steadily upwards.  The reasons for this are a
couple of low cost consumer products such as IBM's Home Page Reader and Connect Out Loud from
Freedom Scientific.  The HPR only works within the context of a browser while Connect Out Loud
allows the blind user both access to the web and a popular email client such as OE or Eudora.  I
grant that this group won't make up a large proportion of net users but I would encourage site
designers to keep this group in mind when designing sites which will be accessed by wide cross
sections of users.  Don't read that last as saying go out of your way to accommodate this group but:
Do offer the user a way to skip all the graphics on a page and get to the text content  And speaking
of text:  One of the biggest frustrations I and others have run into are links on a page which
simply say "click here"  Not very informative particularly if click here is associated with a
graphic which is not clearly identified with an appropriate text label.  Just my thoughts for what
they're worth.
Ray T. Mahorney
WA4WGA
----- Original Message -----
From: "Lauren Hanka" <bluejay(at)starband.net>
To: <hwg-basics(at)hwg.org>
Sent: Thursday, May 10, 2001 9:12 PM
Subject: Re: Designing for WebTV


Bill,

What do I say? and why would you have me go through so much in addition to
my original trouble and frustrations, which was designing for WebTV?

I could beat my chest about certain things too... but I choose not to,
because I don't expect the entire world to accommodate me. I don't whine
about inconveniences --I just deal with them. I participate in the things I
am able to. Everyone has their special cross to bear --their lessons to
learn. The Internet is enjoyed by a primarily *viewing* audience. True?
It's good to design sites for special users in mind --that's pleasing a
*target audience,* but to infer that all sites should be accessible to a
favorite minority is unreasonable and even selfish, in my opinion. Why add
to others' burdens?

Lauren

----- Original Message -----
From: "Austin Bill-P23393" <Bill.Austin(at)motorola.com>
To: "'Lauren Hanka'" <bluejay(at)starband.net>; <hwg-basics(at)hwg.org>
Sent: Thursday, May 10, 2001 4:15 PM
Subject: RE: Designing for WebTV


> If you think that is bad, log into telnet://aztec2.asu.edu   -- userid:
guest password: visitor  and get an account then try item 13 on the menu.
Hit "g" for go and type in some addresses and see how some of you favorite
sites sound to blind people and look to users of sites like that.  There are
still hundreds of thousands of very active web surfers who only have that
type of access.
>
>
> Bill Austin
> http://aztec.asu.edu/
> http://home.att.net/~wbaustin/famous.html
>
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Lauren Hanka [mailto:bluejay(at)starband.net]
> Sent: Thursday, May 10, 2001 12:24 PM
> To: hwg-basics(at)hwg.org
> Subject: Designing for WebTV
>
>
> Hi All -
>
> I've recently installed the "WebTV Viewer," and am shocked at what I
see --
> lovely sites trashed before my very eyes! How do those of you concerned
with
> this issue approach designing for this "beast?" Do you try? Do you ignore
> it? Do you design separate pages? If you design separate pages
specifically
> for the WebTV viewing public, how do you program them so that the WebTV
> browser is recognized, and fed the special WebTV pages? I know I'm not
> articulating myself well, but you get the picture <slysmile>.
>
> Lauren, who is full of questions these days, and knows there's an archive,
> but wants fresh, spring leaves...

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