Comments on: ABC Mobile website fails accessibility test

By: Ivy

Ivy — Thu, 01 Jan 1970 10:00:00 +0000

In regards to sites, which are not developed for sight impared users (trust me there are many) makes a lot of sense just not for accesability reasons.

One good side effect is it will help in getting better rankings in the many search engines.

But it seems that most web developers have forgotton alt tags these days.

By: Jobby

Jobby — Thu, 01 Jan 1970 10:00:00 +0000

Jumping Jesus on a f$cking pogo stick. What a massive whinge about absolutely nothing. For a start, no-one uses ‘ordinary’ mobile phones to view this stuff on, the design has to be tailored to smart phones with large screens. Secondly, no-one gives two shakes about ‘alt-text’, it’s so ridiculously unimportant. I’d be surprised that the article bangs on about it so much.

Except for the fact that Tom Worthington is a well known annoying crank. If he’d actually spent some time being involved with IT and communication design and development instead of imperiously claiming that everyone is ‘unlawful’ then he might be worth listening to. Sadly, he hasn’t. He’s applied the ‘unlawful’ tag to just about every web site he’s ever visited (apparently the internet is ‘unlawful’).

Please Crikey - leave this sort of stuff to Stilgherrian and spare us the pain.

By: Matt McLeod

Matt McLeod — Thu, 01 Jan 1970 10:00:00 +0000

Alt text for images matters a lot to the blind. Including it is not a big ask.

By: Matt McLeod

Matt McLeod — Thu, 01 Jan 1970 10:00:00 +0000

They appear to have fixed the lack of alt text for the images used for a menu on the front page.

By: x

Thu, 01 Jan 1970 10:00:00 +0000

By: Mick

Mick — Thu, 01 Jan 1970 10:00:00 +0000

I have an iPhone and I work at the ABC. So I have every reason to be critical of anything the ABC does.

As soon as I saw the message about the mobile website I had a look. After all, it's free. As a long term ABC staffer, I was a bit sceptical about how good it would be. IT at the ABC is decidedly PC-centric. So much so that they out-source support for Final Cut Pro. But our on-line services have been ahead of the pack most of the time so I was moderately hopeful.

I have to say this is one of the best things I've ever added to my iPhone. It is NOT an iPhone application. It is just a mobile-appropriate web site. But it sure works like an iPhone app. In fact it works so well that it's better than most iPhone apps. I had it on my phone, with an icon on my home page and customised to my locality right down to my local independent cinemas and their screening times (with links back to "At the Movies" reviews of each film on their schedule) in less than two minutes. I don't know what Mr Worthington has been doing but my home page has all the main links for News, Weather, Sport and the rest in big, capital letters - not a logo, icon, pictogram or whatever in sight.

If only the Crikey daily email looked so good on my iPhone. I'm STILL waiting for a response to recent messages regarding the very simple formatting issue that needs to be addressed.

By: One Blind Mouse

One Blind Mouse — Thu, 01 Jan 1970 10:00:00 +0000

Thanks for caring Prof. Worthington.

Have you tested Telstra's sites for accessibility? In my opinion they are all a disaster. I have complained to various Telstra units concerning this, offering them screen shots etc, but have never had a meaningful reply.

Hey, Jobby. You make it really hard for me to not wish that someone poke your eyes out with a stick.

By: Matt

Matt — Thu, 01 Jan 1970 10:00:00 +0000

Nice rant Jobby but you obviously don't realise what accessibility is all about.

Keep up the good work Tom! There needs to be more done on this front.

By: Tom

Tom — Thu, 01 Jan 1970 10:00:00 +0000

It might be a bit over the top, but at least someone is doing an in-depth analysis of this because it’s important.

By: coleman

coleman — Thu, 01 Jan 1970 10:00:00 +0000

i rather agree with Jobby, but i had never heard of Tom Worthington. According to the ANU website, Mr Worthington is an adjunct lecturer, not a “senior professor” - whatever that is.