Request for Usability and Accessibility Forum

[pete_m]

Hi everyone. I'd like to put in a request for a new forum: Usability and Accessibility.

Website usability is a huge area - covering graphic design, HTML/CSS, Information Architecture, HCI, even server configuration and choice of domain name.

Accessibility is becoming increasingly important for most webmasters, and not only because of the threat of legal action! As the range of different browsers and platforms increases, we need to ensure that our websites can be seen as widely as possible.

I reckon that both issues are so fundamental to website creation that they deserve a forum here of their own - what does everyone else think?

Pete

[troels nybo nielsen]

I get your point, Pete, but I have to admit being skeptical. So many questions that might belong in such a forum might just as well belong in another. I think that there are enough forums to be confused about!

[Hawkgirl]

I think website usability is a huge topic that is often hard to place in other buckets here at WebmasterWorld. I agree with you - I'd love to see a forum for website usability!

[RonPK]

It is a very important topic for sure. Maybe we should try to distinguish between general discussions on the topic and technical issues - the latter belonging in the forums on HTML, CSS, JavaScript, whatever. Why? Because IMHO tips and tricks on building accessible and usable sites should not be 'hidden' in a separate forum: making your site accessible and usable should be the way to go.

[pete_m]

A separate U&A forum would allow us to build up a library of articles related to usability - I think this is worth doing.

troels: An example of a topic best placed in the U&A forum - "What colour should hyperlinks be?" At the moment it would probably go in the HTML and Browsers forum. But it's not a HTML question! It's solely about usability - sure the *method of implementation* is HTML/CSS, but the actual question is pure usability.

RonPK: I think that a U&A forum would naturally focus on technique rather than implementation (although you couldn't avoid the implementation details entirely).

Some examples of recent threads which belong in a U&A forum:
Usability: line height means even more than I thought [webmasterworld.com]
Alt text with font graphics [webmasterworld.com]
Can someone explain to me why frames are bad? [webmasterworld.com]
Information Architecture for the Small Site - part 1 [webmasterworld.com]
Information Architecture for the Small Site - part 2 [webmasterworld.com]

[edit_g]

Usability, user interface design, human factors etc often has a lot to do with testing and research - a lot that tends to fall between the cracks. I think it's a great idea.

[benihana]

id love to see a dedicated forum.

[BlobFisk]

Yep - I'd agree completely! Usbility, User Interface Engineering, HCI...

[pete_m]

Slightly off-topic: who authorises new forums? Is it Brett himself, or do the moderators decide collectively?

[Brett_Tabke]

I do. We look for the need first. That used to me atleast 25 threads on a topic with atleast 500 msgs. Then it went to 50 threads and 1000 msgs, and now it is probably over a hundred threads and a couple k msgs really.

A usability forum is a clear possiblity soon.

[pete_m]

Ok, thanks for the reply Brett. Looking forward to (hopefully) seeing the Usability forum soon!

[mona]

>A usability forum is a clear possiblity soon.
Woohoo!