From the web page
http://www.nfb.org/images/nfb/Publications/bm/bm08/bm0804/bm080408.htm
Braille Monitor, April 2008
An Accessible and Highly Usable Webmail Service
by Curtis Chong
From the Editor: Curtis Chong is president of the NFB in Computer
Science division. Here is his interesting brief report on America
Online's Webmail service:
Any blind person who has used a talking screen-reading program to read
email with a Web browser (sometimes referred to as "Webmail") has had to
deal with an interface that is both awkward and inefficient. This
interface is so cumbersome, in fact, that, when given a choice, most of
us prefer to use an email client such as Outlook Express or Eudora
whenever we get the chance. In most Webmail services, when you open a
Webpage that displays the body of an email message that you want to
read, it often takes four or more keystrokes to move the cursor to the
body of the message before you can read it. (One typically presses the
down arrow key over and over again until one hears the first line of the
message.) The Reply and Delete controls are often placed so far away
from the message itself that only an advanced user can find them with
less than five keystrokes. Finally, no shortcut keystrokes take you
directly to the inbox or to a screen where you can type a reply.
Well, let me tell you about the Webmail offering from America Online
(AOL). To begin with, it is now possible to obtain an email address from
AOL free. That's right, free! Simply point your browser to
<www.mail.aol.com> and get yourself what AOL calls a screen name. As
part of the process you will be asked to copy some graphical text into
an edit box (the dreaded visual CAPTCHA), but fortunately AOL provides a
way to copy the text using an audio prompt.
As for the AOL Webmail service itself, the first thing you will notice
(once you have switched to "accessible view") is that a number of very
useful shortcut keys are now available. For example, Control+Alt+N takes
you directly to a screen where you can write a new email message;
Control+Alt+A takes you to your list of email contacts; and
Control+Alt+M checks for new email. When you are reading a message, you
can press Control+Alt+D to delete the message, Control+Alt+F to forward
the message, Control+Alt+R to reply to the message, or Control+Alt+J to
mark the message as spam (unsolicited and unwanted email). You can store
names and email addresses of those with whom you exchange email, and the
spell check function works quite nicely with talking screen-reading
software.
On each page that is part of the AOL Webmail service, you have the
option of bringing up a table containing the list of available keyboard
shortcuts. You can either click on the link which says, "Click this link
to show or hide the keyboard shortcuts table," or simply press
Control+Alt+H.
I have used a number of Webmail services over the years, and none of
them has impressed me as much as the AOL Webmail service. As most people
who know me will tell you, I am a hard person to impress. I find little
to criticize about the AOL Webmail service and much to be glad about. I
believe that a lot of careful thought and hard work went into the design
of the accessible interface to the AOL Webmail service. The design
clearly demonstrates a strong understanding of the way screen-access
programs for the blind work, a knowledge of the shortcuts they use to
facilitate efficient navigation of Webpages, and a practical
understanding of what blind people need and want in an email system.
Kudos to AOL for making this accessible Webmail service, and kudos to
its director of accessibility, Tom Wlodkowski, who in my view was
largely responsible for making this happen.
No virus found in this incoming message.
Checked by AVG.
Version: 7.5.519 / Virus Database: 269.22.12/1373 - Release Date: 4/11/2008
9:17 AM
No virus found in this outgoing message.
Checked by AVG.
Version: 7.5.519 / Virus Database: 269.22.12/1373 - Release Date: 4/11/2008
9:17 AM
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