sound advice (accessibility issues)

pSouper · Post by **pSouper** » Thu 22. Jul 2004, 12:20

Hi OG et al.
I have just realised (don't shoot me) that there is no prevision for sound a s there is for images.
I realise that if it tool me this long to notice I was missing sound then it may be assumed that is not all that necessary, but it is to those with accessibly issues, and more so to those organisations and government bodies that will insist on contingency design elements that include such visitors.

I would ask for consideration be paid to...

Setting a pages background audio on a per page basis (this may be achieved using php in the templates that use the current article ID )
setting sound events on mouse-down, mouse-up, mouse-over actions ( possibly enter & leave ) triggered by links, menus and images. this system may utilise replacement tags.
setting sound events on page enter & field focus to announce the current page/field. this system may utilise replacement tags.

I would also make a case for additional CSS replacement as with the 'printer' tag I would ask for a more general {PAGESTYLE: ./pathto/my.css}. This would enable font size changes and image replacement or exclusion for the visually impaired and those with slow connections & mobile devices.

thanks again for reading my rubbish: just knowing you got this far helps my therapy

cyrano · Post by **cyrano** » Thu 22. Jul 2004, 12:40

hi psouper,

for a background loop it would be possible to set a small flash file into page?

Ah no, wouldn't, because there is no frame, which isn't updated on a page request.

Ok, please go on...

pSouper · Post by **pSouper** » Sat 24. Jul 2004, 10:38

hehe Cy,

I have used a background sound before but was didn't likr it restarting with every page. I realise this a price we pay for having a site without frames (no frames are preferable to me)

stevenlyons · Post by **stevenlyons** » Sat 24. Jul 2004, 18:56

You can't really expect a CMS to do this for you!

Here's what I tell my website design students about sound:

If you want the kind of sound control you are requesting--you should be developing in Flash, not HTMTL. Flash has much finer grained sound control built right in. Sound events, when triggered from within HTML pages, are always clunky in ****. Folks looking for a 'big' sound experience from a website expect it to be made in Flash.

Sound is considered very annoying by lots of folks. You must build in a way to turn off the sound or control its volume. And then there are the accessibility issues: does the sound provide aural clues that help with navigation? If so, how do you provide for hearing impaired folks?

Think of the old Bauhaus adage: 'form follows function'. Does your soundtrack add something of value to the website? Is there a purpose to the sound other than just another annoying looping background muzak track? You may consider your sound creation to be a work of art, but does your target audience think so? Is the purpose of your sound understandable and accessible to everyone? If the answer to these questions is no or maybe, then you should consider dropping the sound.

Right now I am developing a site for a classical composer. The only sound that will be on the site will be downloadable mp3s. Clean, simple and nobody will ever be annoyed.

pSouper · Post by **pSouper** » Sun 25. Jul 2004, 10:28

very good points, well made.
the sounds is indeed for the visually impared and would indicate the function of links/rollovers for navigational purposes.
the additional BGsound was an afterthought really and although would indeed not be welcome in this case I thought I may complete the HTML sound funciton if it were catered for.

stevenlyons wrote:does the sound provide aural clues that help with navigation? If so, how do you provide for hearing impaired folks?

for the hearing impared I though of a readical solution but am not sure if phpWCMS would be able to handle it... Text

(sorry fo that but it made me chuckle)