Case Studies
Retired man with failing eyesight
Jim retired last year on a full pension. He's quite fit for his age, but his eyesight is starting to fade a bit. When using his computer, he now finds it easier having the resolution set to 640x480 pixels as opposed to the norm of 800x600.
He decides to use the Internet to look for a hobby. He searches for sites on genealogy (family trees) and comes across two that may be of interest.
He goes to the first site, reads a few lines and comes to the conclusion that it doesn't make any sense. He looks towards the bottom of the window and realises that he has been missing words because he needs to horizontally scroll (move the screen left to right and back).
He's a patient man with time on his hands but having to scroll for every line causes too much frustration even for him.
The next site offers similar information, but he doesn't have to horizontally scroll. He finds this much easier to use and it is unlikely he will re-visit the other site.
Would he need to horizontally scroll on your site?
Priest with a slow Internet connection
Father O'Brien is researching information on ancient relics for his sermon on Sunday.
He has quite an old computer with a slow modem. He tends to change the settings to have pictures not displaying, so the pages download quickly as well as not giving a timeout message, saving time and money.
He's mainly interested in the text, but he assumes that if there is a photograph of particular interest or importance, then he will be able to tell from the alternative text whether he wants to change the settings to look at the photograph.
Would your website accommodate Father O'Brien if he was looking for information on your site?
Businessman using his Palmtop to buy a forgotten anniversary present
Charles is away for the week on business. He suddenly remembers that it is his wedding anniversary the following day. He knows that he's in trouble if his wife doesn't receive a present on time.
He isn't back home for a few days. He decides to use his Palmtop to buy something over the Internet and have it delivered.
He finds that websites are displayed very differently on a Palmtop from that of a PC.
Do you know if he could surf your website adequately?
No Mouse!
Danny has limited mobility in his hands after an accident at work. He tries to use his computer with a mouse but finds he doesn't have enough control over it. He starts to use the TAB key on the keyboard to navigate through the links.
Not using the mouse, he repeatedly comes across two difficulties:
- He finds it difficult to know which link is currently selected
- The order in which the links are selected is rather erratic
What is it like using the TAB key to navigate your website?
Where am I?
Davina Blankett uses a voice browser to access the Internet. A voice browser basically reads out the information; it is a lot more sophisticated than this, but we won't go into that now.
She normally has great trouble visiting websites and the one she is looking at now is no different, but she perseveres.
Suddenly, she becomes very disorientated. For some reason it appears that she's on a different page. She selects the 'back' option but to no avail.
She decides to leave it until her husband comes in. He informs her that the site opened up a new window without letting her know. With it being a new window, she couldn't easily return to where she was previously.
Does this happen on your page?