Removing Microformats
Post categories: accessibility
| 10:24 UK time, Tuesday, 24 June 2008
Since /programmes first went live we've been working to ensure that programme data was accessible to people and machines alike. The API design was baked in at the application design stage. Similarly we've worked on adding microformats to HTML pages as a lightweight API. All broadcasts use the hCalendar microformat to add start times, end times, broadcast channels etc.
Unfortunately there have been a number of concerns over hCalendar's use of the abbreviation design pattern. This uses the HTML abbreviation element to add machine data to pages. Our concerns were:
- the effect on blind users using screen readers with abbreviation expansion turned on where abbreviations designed for machines would be read out
- the effect on partially sighted users using screen readers where tool tips of abbreviations designed for machines would be read out
- the effect of incomprehensible tooltips on users with cognitive disabilities
- the potential fencing off of abbreviations to domains that need them (travel - airport codes, finance - ticker symbols etc)
Read more and comment at the Radio Labs blog.
Michael Smethurst is an Information Architect at 91Èȱ¬ Audio & Music Interactive.
