Clarify guidelines for video use

[timfrick]

This suggestion was given to me by an interaction designer for UK gov on LinkedIn regarding video:

The immediate one I think of relates to video which is helpful for people who struggle with written text and as relay necessary for Sign language interpretation on calls. You are right that your guidance doesn't contradict, however I notice that it doesn't mention it either?

2.16 does specifically mention accessibility benefits:

Delivering media assets in ways that convey information in an easy-to-read manner both visually and contextually (even if people are unable to for example see), will allow a wider audience to gain from your content.

However, to her point, I'm a little hung up on the phrasing 'easy to read'. Shouldn't that also be easy to perceive, understand, etc. per WCAG? Are there opportunities to be more specific and clear here, especially regarding the use case she mentions?

[TzviyaSiegman]

we might consider cross-referencing wcag throughout

[andreadavanzo]

We have references to WCAG also in Section 3 (Web Development). For example, 'Success Criterion - Accessibility Compliance' is mentioned under '3.5 Ensure Your Solutions Are Accessible.'

I think we could create a 'global' section that clearly references the WCAG guidelines and remove any points that overlap with them.

As I mentioned in our last meeting, there’s a risk of unintentionally creating a duplicate version of WCAG. We all agree that a sustainable website or service MUST be accessible, and WCAG should be the starting point.

By removing overlapping points, we can simplify the WSG and reduce the risk of misinterpretation or redundancy with WCAG. Anyway it is not an easy task. ;)

P.S. In this new "global" section we can move also "2.4 Consider Sustainability in Early Ideation" because it is not just a UX stuff but more a global vision that spread down to all the sections of the guidelines.

[AlexDawsonUK]

@timfrick I agree easy-to-perceive is a better choice of word use. I've made the adjustment.

I have also improved the language in 2.16 for SC Need For Media

The need for video or sound (when it adds visitor value, for example, to enhance accessibility) has been determined, and non-informative media (background media), including autoplaying functionality, has been banned or removed.

In cases like sign language, this is adding visitor value (accessibility) so it is self-evident that its meeting the criteria.

@andreadavanzo We mentioned in the meeting about having better ability to filter / group the guidelines & Success Criteria by applicability (that would offer the global style appeal you are looking for, I've made a note of this for future reference).