CSS Source Ordered designs and accessiblity
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- Andy Miller
- Preeminent Rocketeer
- Posts: 9919
- Thanks: 96
- Web Kahuna
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I'm not sure if you follow these discussions, but there has been some hype lately about source ordered designs. What this basically means is putting the content first, before the navigation and other design elements. This was originally brought about due to accessibility and the idea that the content at the top would help those with screen readers. Also it's said that some search engines will rank sites that are 'source ordered' higher due to the higher keyword density at the top of the page. Anyway, i was doing some research on this today and it seems more and more the tide is turning against this concept. Take this study:
www.usability.com.au/resources/ozewai2005/
that addresses the question head one, turns out that screen-readers actually expect to see navigation first, and content second.
Interesting stuff!
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I too think this is interesting. But something else also struck me. I am a physically disabled person with several disabilities (seems you get one you get others). And while I do appreciate "accessibility" in my physical world as well as my internet world, I also think it should not interfere with what is logical for the majority. Navigation first is logical. It makes more sense. I realize that we all need to be sensitive to what makes things accessible to others, but accessibility should not make things less usable to the majority. It only makes sense that when designing things to aid in accessibility that it works logically - i.e., navigation first - and does not impede on the usefulness to others.
Nice to know that this is just the way it is. And thanks for sharing this. I do like to view things on accessibility and see what is out there. I know I have had to look for things that accommodate my own disabilities - like turning animations off because it can set off my seizures. Some animations are horrendous for it - but I can't imagine that websites should not be able to use them because a limited few can't tolerate them - even though what they trigger in some people is pretty bad. The way to make these sites accessible was to turn off the animations via my own computer. To me that kind of accessibility is logical. I hope in an effort to be PC and make things accessible - they will continue to make things possible for everyone.
JMHO
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