Re: text menus vs graphical menus

Here's a suggestion, Ann - use graphics in your menus, but provide
additional text menus - a common convention is to add the text
navigation at the bottom of the page, but if you can duplicate the text
menu nearer the top of the page as well, then all the better.

As the discussion since you asked this question has indicated, many
people find graphics attractive, useful and easy to remember and use,
rather than having to read words.  For other users a combination of
graphics and text can be very helpful, as in Michael's suggestion of
combining image and text in the same graphic, while for some text
navigation is the best format (e.g. those who use magnification software
or who use their browser settings to increase the text size).  So if you
can provide both graphic and text navigation, that should help to ensure
that everyone will be able to enjoy and navigate the site.

Regards,
Donna
--
Donna Smillie
Best Practice Officer (Accessible Websites)
Royal National Institute of the Blind (UK)

----- Original Message -----
From: Ann Ezzell <amcbainezzell(at)alum.mit.edu>
To: 'HWG Techniques' <hwg-techniques(at)hwg.org>
Sent: Wednesday, November 06, 2002 2:32 PM
Subject: text menus vs graphical menus


>
> Another question along the lines of my question about fluid vs
> fixed-size layout (thanks for all the responses to that!)
>
> I've been moving away from using graphics for my menus to increase
> accessibility, reduce download time, simplify site maintenance, and
> probably some other reasons that escape me right now.
>
> But I'm getting some feedback that people don't like the look of the
> text-based menus - they seem to want the look of the graphics.
>
> I don't want to get into using a "fancy" DHTML menu, because I have
yet
> to find one that's reliable enough for my pickiness (so please don't
> recommend that I try Acme Brand DHTML Menu, because that's not my
> question ;-)
>
> What are you using? Graphics? Text? What are the reactions to your
> menus?
>
> Thanks.
>
>

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