IBM aDesigner
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Internetnews.com reports on IBM's aDesigner:
http://www.internetnews.com/...
| Quote: |
| The software tool evaluates Web sites on their font choices and colors (and the ability to change them upon request), compliance with accessibility guidelines, alternate text for images and link navigation.
A five-pane window shows the Web site as it looks for most people. Another browser pane demonstrates how it looks or will read for blind or low-vision people, while the bottom three panes list and map out problems aDesigner had with the Web site. The site is then scored (from 1 to 100) for compliance, navigability and listenability and given an overall letter grade from A to D. Also included in the program is a "simulator" showing how a Web site looks to a person with low-vision impairment. |
Highly configurable to simulate a variety of conditions (different types of colour deficiency, eyesight, age), and featuring a built-in accessibility checker, this is an excellent tool for both demonstration and testing purposes.
Currently, there are no plans to release aDesigner as a commercial product; it's freely available for download under the alphaWorks license.
http://www.alphaworks.ibm.com/...
Hat tip to David Poehlman for first bringing the article (as well as the product) to my attention.
_________________
Patrick H. Lauke / webmaster / University of Salford
co-lead: WaSP Accesibility Task Force
take it to the streets ... WaSP Street Team
personal: splintered | photographia | redux
co-author: Web Accessibility - Web Standards and Regulatory Compliance
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I've requested that my employer buy a screen reader for testing purposes. Do you think this tool could work for that purpose instead?
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| Cecilia wrote: |
| I've requested that my employer buy a screen reader for testing purposes. Do you think this tool could work for that purpose instead? |
no, they're two very different tools.
on a sidenote, make sure you also get some proper training on how to use the screenreader...as otherwise you may not use it the way a visually impaired user would, and may come to the wrong conclusions.
_________________
Patrick H. Lauke / webmaster / University of Salford
co-lead: WaSP Accesibility Task Force
take it to the streets ... WaSP Street Team
personal: splintered | photographia | redux
co-author: Web Accessibility - Web Standards and Regulatory Compliance
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That's what I was afraid of.
Where would I get training like that?
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I've just spent an hour tinkering with it. Bloody interesting piece of kit 
It's a little quirky with skip to links and how it interprets the reading lag but as a first effort it's worth my time examining its feature list.
I'll need to give it a shake out by running comparison testing against naffly / efforted / strongly accessible sites to see what it flags since most of mine are vaguely up to scratch and get A+ (see, I'm not always full of crap), but as it stands this goes on my highly recommended list.
Good call, Pat
_________________
Mike Pepper
You know something: I care about people.
Business Website Development
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i was lucky enough to get my training from http://www.help2access.org.uk/ - normally they'd only take on people with an actual sight impairment, but the guy who runs it made an exception for me.
not sure about any formal training providers. maybe the rnib has some info, buried away in their site? http://www.rnib.org/...
_________________
Patrick H. Lauke / webmaster / University of Salford
co-lead: WaSP Accesibility Task Force
take it to the streets ... WaSP Street Team
personal: splintered | photographia | redux
co-author: Web Accessibility - Web Standards and Regulatory Compliance
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We use http://www.tandt-consultancy.com for our Jaws training. Recommended.
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Now that's good.
It picked up on the hidden page links, it moans as much as my grandad.
text too small, text too small...
I think it's going to take some getting used to.
Better than bobby already, well from what I've seen anyway.
mike 2k:)2
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Well impressed with this (from a half hour playing, anyway)! Be interested to know how accessible the software itself is, though._________________
...or something.
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It appears that the product is now a trial for 90 days and then a licenced version if you want to keep using it 
Ive got version 1. Does anyone know if its actually changed much since then and if its worth the upgrade?
rgds
Paul
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| hotnuts21 wrote: |
|
Ive got version 1. Does anyone know if its actually changed much since then and if its worth the upgrade? |
i seem to remember from the EULA that as soon as a "pay for" version of aDesigner came out you were not allowed to use the free one any more...so careful, you may be in breach of the alphaWorks agreement.
_________________
Patrick H. Lauke / webmaster / University of Salford
co-lead: WaSP Accesibility Task Force
take it to the streets ... WaSP Street Team
personal: splintered | photographia | redux
co-author: Web Accessibility - Web Standards and Regulatory Compliance
Share:
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