From ee41a485bcb638133c9fec7d63f769dd73c83564 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: "Patrick H. Lauke" Date: Sun, 22 May 2022 21:27:34 +0100 Subject: [PATCH 01/12] Add note to 2.1.4 Character Key Shortcuts understanding Make the point that while the SC itself refers to "character keys", it's nothing to do with how many keys are pressed. Also correct a typo, and gives the document a proper `` (though irrelevant, as this is changed on publication, it's still nice for good housekeeping). Closes https://github.com/w3c/wcag/issues/2314~ --- understanding/21/character-key-shortcuts.html | 7 +++++-- 1 file changed, 5 insertions(+), 2 deletions(-) diff --git a/understanding/21/character-key-shortcuts.html b/understanding/21/character-key-shortcuts.html index 69c95fd7b8..a4999d351a 100644 --- a/understanding/21/character-key-shortcuts.html +++ b/understanding/21/character-key-shortcuts.html @@ -2,16 +2,19 @@ <html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" lang="en" xml:lang="en"> <head> <meta charset="UTF-8" /> - <title>WCAG 2.0 Understanding Page + Understanding Character Key Shortcuts

Understanding Character Key Shortcuts

Intent

-

The intent of this Success Crition is to reduce accidental activation of keyboard shortcuts. Character key shortcuts work well for many keyboard users, but are inappropriate and frustrating for speech input users — whose means of input is strings of letters — and for keyboard users who are prone to accidentally hit keys. +

The intent of this Success Criterion is to reduce accidental activation of keyboard shortcuts. Character key shortcuts work well for many keyboard users, but are inappropriate and frustrating for speech input users — whose means of input is strings of letters — and for keyboard users who are prone to accidentally hit keys. To rectify this issue, authors need to allow users to turn off or reconfigure shortcuts that are made up of only character keys.

+
+

Even though this Success Criterion refers to character keys, note that it's not relevant whether a shortcut can be activated using a single physical key on a keyboard, or if it requires a combination of keys to be pressed. For instance, on most full-size US and UK keyboard, the ? (question mark) symbol is accessed using Shift and the / (forward slash) key next to the right-hand Shift key. The é (lowercase e with an acute accent) requires the use of AltGr and e. The specific key combination required for certain characters will also vary depending on the user's keyboard layout. However, shortcuts that use these characters still fall under the requirements of this Success Criterion. What matters is that a shortcut relies on a printable character (letters, punctuation, numbers, symbol characters), and not the numbers of physical keyboard keys that users need to press to trigger it.

+

Note that this success criterion doesn't affect components such as listboxes and drop-down menus. Although these components contain values (words) that may be selected by one or more character keys, the shortcuts are only active when the components have focus. Other components such as menus may be accessed or opened with a single non-character shortcut (e.g., Alt or Alt+F) before pressing a single character key to select an item. This makes the full path to invoking a menu a two-step shortcut that includes a non-printable key. Accesskeys are also not affected because they include modifier keys.

Background on the mechanics of speech input:

 

Speech Input users generally work in a single mode where they can use a mix of dictation and speech commands. This works well because the user knows to pause before and after commands, and commands are usually at least two words long. So, for instance, a user might say a bit of dictation, such as "the small boat", then pause, and say a command to delete that dictation, such as "Delete Line". In contrast, if the user were to say the two phrases together without a pause, the whole phrase would come out as dictation (i.e., "the small boat delete line"). Although speech input programs often include modes that listen only for dictation or only for commands, most speech users use the all-encompassing mode all the time because it is a much more efficient workflow. It could decrease command efficiency significantly if users were to change to command mode and back before and after issuing each command.

From b4d553102acb03742e6a6492709ce36d75f54608 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: "Patrick H. Lauke" Date: Sun, 22 May 2022 21:47:34 +0100 Subject: [PATCH 02/12] Remove the "Note" after the actual note, use `` for other shortcuts/keys mentioned in the document --- understanding/21/character-key-shortcuts.html | 8 ++++---- 1 file changed, 4 insertions(+), 4 deletions(-) diff --git a/understanding/21/character-key-shortcuts.html b/understanding/21/character-key-shortcuts.html index a4999d351a..8cbe5dede5 100644 --- a/understanding/21/character-key-shortcuts.html +++ b/understanding/21/character-key-shortcuts.html @@ -13,14 +13,14 @@

Intent

To rectify this issue, authors need to allow users to turn off or reconfigure shortcuts that are made up of only character keys.

-

Even though this Success Criterion refers to character keys, note that it's not relevant whether a shortcut can be activated using a single physical key on a keyboard, or if it requires a combination of keys to be pressed. For instance, on most full-size US and UK keyboard, the ? (question mark) symbol is accessed using Shift and the / (forward slash) key next to the right-hand Shift key. The é (lowercase e with an acute accent) requires the use of AltGr and e. The specific key combination required for certain characters will also vary depending on the user's keyboard layout. However, shortcuts that use these characters still fall under the requirements of this Success Criterion. What matters is that a shortcut relies on a printable character (letters, punctuation, numbers, symbol characters), and not the numbers of physical keyboard keys that users need to press to trigger it.

+

Even though this Success Criterion refers to character keys, note that it's not relevant whether a shortcut can be activated using a single physical key on a keyboard, or if it requires a combination of keys to be pressed. For instance, on most full-size US and UK keyboard, the ? (question mark) symbol is accessed using Shift+/ (forward slash key next to the right-hand Shift key). The é (lowercase e with an acute accent) requires the use of AltGr+e. The specific key combination required for certain characters will also vary depending on the user's keyboard layout. However, shortcuts that use these characters still fall under the requirements of this Success Criterion. What matters is that a shortcut relies on a printable character (letters, punctuation, numbers, symbol characters), and not the numbers of physical keyboard keys that users need to press to trigger it.

-

Note that this success criterion doesn't affect components such as listboxes and drop-down menus. Although these components contain values (words) that may be selected by one or more character keys, the shortcuts are only active when the components have focus. Other components such as menus may be accessed or opened with a single non-character shortcut (e.g., Alt or Alt+F) before pressing a single character key to select an item. This makes the full path to invoking a menu a two-step shortcut that includes a non-printable key. Accesskeys are also not affected because they include modifier keys.

+

This success criterion doesn't affect components such as listboxes and drop-down menus. Although these components contain values (words) that may be selected by one or more character keys, the shortcuts are only active when the components have focus. Other components such as menus may be accessed or opened with a single non-character shortcut (e.g., Alt or Alt+F) before pressing a single character key to select an item. This makes the full path to invoking a menu a two-step shortcut that includes a non-printable key. Accesskeys are also not affected because they include modifier keys.

Background on the mechanics of speech input:

 

Speech Input users generally work in a single mode where they can use a mix of dictation and speech commands. This works well because the user knows to pause before and after commands, and commands are usually at least two words long. So, for instance, a user might say a bit of dictation, such as "the small boat", then pause, and say a command to delete that dictation, such as "Delete Line". In contrast, if the user were to say the two phrases together without a pause, the whole phrase would come out as dictation (i.e., "the small boat delete line"). Although speech input programs often include modes that listen only for dictation or only for commands, most speech users use the all-encompassing mode all the time because it is a much more efficient workflow. It could decrease command efficiency significantly if users were to change to command mode and back before and after issuing each command.

-

Speech users can also speak most keyboard commands (e.g., "press Control Foxtrot") without any problems. If the website or app is keyboard enabled, the speech user can also write a native speech macro that calls the keyboard command, such as "This Print" to carry out Ctrl+P.

+

Speech users can also speak most keyboard commands (e.g., "press Control Foxtrot") without any problems. If the website or app is keyboard enabled, the speech user can also write a native speech macro that calls the keyboard command, such as "This Print" to carry out Ctrl+P.

Single-key shortcuts are the exception. While using single letter keys as controls might be appropriate and efficient for many keyboard users, single-key shortcuts are disastrous for speech users. The reason for this is that when only a single key is used to trip a command, a spoken word can become a barrage of single-key commands if the cursor focus happens to be in the wrong place.

-

For example, a speech-input user named Kim has her cursor focus in the main window of a web mail application that uses common keyboard shortcuts to navigate ("k"), archive ("y") and mute messages ("m"). A coworker named Mike enters her office and says "Hey Kim" and her microphone picks that up. The Y of "hey" archives the current message. K in "Kim" moves down one conversation and M mutes a message or thread. And, if Kim looks up and says "Hey Mike" without remembering to turn off the microphone, the same three things happen in a different sequence.

+

For example, a speech-input user named Kim has her cursor focus in the main window of a web mail application that uses common keyboard shortcuts to navigate (k), archive (y) and mute messages (m). A coworker named Mike enters her office and says "Hey Kim" and her microphone picks that up. The Y of "hey" archives the current message. K in "Kim" moves down one conversation and M mutes a message or thread. And, if Kim looks up and says "Hey Mike" without remembering to turn off the microphone, the same three things happen in a different sequence.

A user interacting with a webpage or web app that doesn't use single-character shortcuts doesn't have this problem. Inadvertent strings of characters from the speech application are not interpreted as shortcuts if a modifier key is required. A speech user filling in a text input form may find that a phrase that is accidentally picked up by the speech microphone results in stray text being entered into the field, but that is easily seen and undone. The Resources section of this page contains links to videos demonstrating these types of issues.

Benefits

From 7a24182a4aed266dfcc1396c7a7b2dafb39e026a Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: "Patrick H. Lauke" Date: Sun, 22 May 2022 21:54:57 +0100 Subject: [PATCH 03/12] Typo --- understanding/21/character-key-shortcuts.html | 2 +- 1 file changed, 1 insertion(+), 1 deletion(-) diff --git a/understanding/21/character-key-shortcuts.html b/understanding/21/character-key-shortcuts.html index 8cbe5dede5..b0a246b3c4 100644 --- a/understanding/21/character-key-shortcuts.html +++ b/understanding/21/character-key-shortcuts.html @@ -13,7 +13,7 @@

Intent

To rectify this issue, authors need to allow users to turn off or reconfigure shortcuts that are made up of only character keys.

-

Even though this Success Criterion refers to character keys, note that it's not relevant whether a shortcut can be activated using a single physical key on a keyboard, or if it requires a combination of keys to be pressed. For instance, on most full-size US and UK keyboard, the ? (question mark) symbol is accessed using Shift+/ (forward slash key next to the right-hand Shift key). The é (lowercase e with an acute accent) requires the use of AltGr+e. The specific key combination required for certain characters will also vary depending on the user's keyboard layout. However, shortcuts that use these characters still fall under the requirements of this Success Criterion. What matters is that a shortcut relies on a printable character (letters, punctuation, numbers, symbol characters), and not the numbers of physical keyboard keys that users need to press to trigger it.

+

Even though this Success Criterion refers to character keys, note that it's not relevant whether a shortcut can be activated using a single physical key on a keyboard, or if it requires a combination of keys to be pressed. For instance, on most full-size US and UK keyboard, the ? (question mark) symbol is accessed using Shift+/ (forward slash key next to the right-hand Shift key). The é (lowercase e with an acute accent) requires the use of AltGr+e. The specific key combination required for certain characters will also vary depending on the user's keyboard layout. However, shortcuts that use these characters still fall under the requirements of this Success Criterion. What matters is that a shortcut relies on a printable character (letters, punctuation, numbers, symbol characters), and not the number of physical keyboard keys that users need to press to trigger it.

This success criterion doesn't affect components such as listboxes and drop-down menus. Although these components contain values (words) that may be selected by one or more character keys, the shortcuts are only active when the components have focus. Other components such as menus may be accessed or opened with a single non-character shortcut (e.g., Alt or Alt+F) before pressing a single character key to select an item. This makes the full path to invoking a menu a two-step shortcut that includes a non-printable key. Accesskeys are also not affected because they include modifier keys.

Background on the mechanics of speech input:

  From 1ed832acf3400da02a8243fd53dcf325baf710e1 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: "Patrick H. Lauke" Date: Sun, 22 May 2022 21:55:48 +0100 Subject: [PATCH 04/12] Tweak the wording around accesskeys --- understanding/21/character-key-shortcuts.html | 2 +- 1 file changed, 1 insertion(+), 1 deletion(-) diff --git a/understanding/21/character-key-shortcuts.html b/understanding/21/character-key-shortcuts.html index b0a246b3c4..cad20e1c6f 100644 --- a/understanding/21/character-key-shortcuts.html +++ b/understanding/21/character-key-shortcuts.html @@ -15,7 +15,7 @@

Intent

Even though this Success Criterion refers to character keys, note that it's not relevant whether a shortcut can be activated using a single physical key on a keyboard, or if it requires a combination of keys to be pressed. For instance, on most full-size US and UK keyboard, the ? (question mark) symbol is accessed using Shift+/ (forward slash key next to the right-hand Shift key). The é (lowercase e with an acute accent) requires the use of AltGr+e. The specific key combination required for certain characters will also vary depending on the user's keyboard layout. However, shortcuts that use these characters still fall under the requirements of this Success Criterion. What matters is that a shortcut relies on a printable character (letters, punctuation, numbers, symbol characters), and not the number of physical keyboard keys that users need to press to trigger it.

-

This success criterion doesn't affect components such as listboxes and drop-down menus. Although these components contain values (words) that may be selected by one or more character keys, the shortcuts are only active when the components have focus. Other components such as menus may be accessed or opened with a single non-character shortcut (e.g., Alt or Alt+F) before pressing a single character key to select an item. This makes the full path to invoking a menu a two-step shortcut that includes a non-printable key. Accesskeys are also not affected because they include modifier keys.

+

This success criterion doesn't affect components such as listboxes and drop-down menus. Although these components contain values (words) that may be selected by one or more character keys, the shortcuts are only active when the components have focus. Other components such as menus may be accessed or opened with a single non-character shortcut (e.g., Alt or Alt+F) before pressing a single character key to select an item. This makes the full path to invoking a menu a two-step shortcut that includes a non-printable key. Accesskeys are also not affected because they are generally (depending on the user agent) triggered using modifier keys.

Background on the mechanics of speech input:

 

Speech Input users generally work in a single mode where they can use a mix of dictation and speech commands. This works well because the user knows to pause before and after commands, and commands are usually at least two words long. So, for instance, a user might say a bit of dictation, such as "the small boat", then pause, and say a command to delete that dictation, such as "Delete Line". In contrast, if the user were to say the two phrases together without a pause, the whole phrase would come out as dictation (i.e., "the small boat delete line"). Although speech input programs often include modes that listen only for dictation or only for commands, most speech users use the all-encompassing mode all the time because it is a much more efficient workflow. It could decrease command efficiency significantly if users were to change to command mode and back before and after issuing each command.

Speech users can also speak most keyboard commands (e.g., "press Control Foxtrot") without any problems. If the website or app is keyboard enabled, the speech user can also write a native speech macro that calls the keyboard command, such as "This Print" to carry out Ctrl+P.

From f93375a72b07b7c27e7ae372640853b992a075db Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: "Patrick H. Lauke" Date: Sun, 22 May 2022 21:56:50 +0100 Subject: [PATCH 05/12] Remove punctuation at end of heading --- understanding/21/character-key-shortcuts.html | 2 +- 1 file changed, 1 insertion(+), 1 deletion(-) diff --git a/understanding/21/character-key-shortcuts.html b/understanding/21/character-key-shortcuts.html index cad20e1c6f..d83d8b4a7e 100644 --- a/understanding/21/character-key-shortcuts.html +++ b/understanding/21/character-key-shortcuts.html @@ -16,7 +16,7 @@

Intent

Even though this Success Criterion refers to character keys, note that it's not relevant whether a shortcut can be activated using a single physical key on a keyboard, or if it requires a combination of keys to be pressed. For instance, on most full-size US and UK keyboard, the ? (question mark) symbol is accessed using Shift+/ (forward slash key next to the right-hand Shift key). The é (lowercase e with an acute accent) requires the use of AltGr+e. The specific key combination required for certain characters will also vary depending on the user's keyboard layout. However, shortcuts that use these characters still fall under the requirements of this Success Criterion. What matters is that a shortcut relies on a printable character (letters, punctuation, numbers, symbol characters), and not the number of physical keyboard keys that users need to press to trigger it.

This success criterion doesn't affect components such as listboxes and drop-down menus. Although these components contain values (words) that may be selected by one or more character keys, the shortcuts are only active when the components have focus. Other components such as menus may be accessed or opened with a single non-character shortcut (e.g., Alt or Alt+F) before pressing a single character key to select an item. This makes the full path to invoking a menu a two-step shortcut that includes a non-printable key. Accesskeys are also not affected because they are generally (depending on the user agent) triggered using modifier keys.

-

Background on the mechanics of speech input:

  +

Background on the mechanics of speech input

 

Speech Input users generally work in a single mode where they can use a mix of dictation and speech commands. This works well because the user knows to pause before and after commands, and commands are usually at least two words long. So, for instance, a user might say a bit of dictation, such as "the small boat", then pause, and say a command to delete that dictation, such as "Delete Line". In contrast, if the user were to say the two phrases together without a pause, the whole phrase would come out as dictation (i.e., "the small boat delete line"). Although speech input programs often include modes that listen only for dictation or only for commands, most speech users use the all-encompassing mode all the time because it is a much more efficient workflow. It could decrease command efficiency significantly if users were to change to command mode and back before and after issuing each command.

Speech users can also speak most keyboard commands (e.g., "press Control Foxtrot") without any problems. If the website or app is keyboard enabled, the speech user can also write a native speech macro that calls the keyboard command, such as "This Print" to carry out Ctrl+P.

Single-key shortcuts are the exception. While using single letter keys as controls might be appropriate and efficient for many keyboard users, single-key shortcuts are disastrous for speech users. The reason for this is that when only a single key is used to trip a command, a spoken word can become a barrage of single-key commands if the cursor focus happens to be in the wrong place.

From 2086d3ff9873f34f8cd1455a389f6272e5259bb3 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: "Patrick H. Lauke" Date: Sun, 16 Oct 2022 10:00:07 +0100 Subject: [PATCH 06/12] Reformat markup of the understanding document correct indentation of the html --- understanding/21/character-key-shortcuts.html | 64 +++++++++---------- 1 file changed, 29 insertions(+), 35 deletions(-) diff --git a/understanding/21/character-key-shortcuts.html b/understanding/21/character-key-shortcuts.html index d83d8b4a7e..dc183b98e5 100644 --- a/understanding/21/character-key-shortcuts.html +++ b/understanding/21/character-key-shortcuts.html @@ -9,56 +9,50 @@

Understanding Character Key Shortcuts

Intent

-

The intent of this Success Criterion is to reduce accidental activation of keyboard shortcuts. Character key shortcuts work well for many keyboard users, but are inappropriate and frustrating for speech input users — whose means of input is strings of letters — and for keyboard users who are prone to accidentally hit keys. -To rectify this issue, authors need to allow users to turn off or reconfigure shortcuts that are made up of only character keys. -

-
-

Even though this Success Criterion refers to character keys, note that it's not relevant whether a shortcut can be activated using a single physical key on a keyboard, or if it requires a combination of keys to be pressed. For instance, on most full-size US and UK keyboard, the ? (question mark) symbol is accessed using Shift+/ (forward slash key next to the right-hand Shift key). The é (lowercase e with an acute accent) requires the use of AltGr+e. The specific key combination required for certain characters will also vary depending on the user's keyboard layout. However, shortcuts that use these characters still fall under the requirements of this Success Criterion. What matters is that a shortcut relies on a printable character (letters, punctuation, numbers, symbol characters), and not the number of physical keyboard keys that users need to press to trigger it.

-
-

This success criterion doesn't affect components such as listboxes and drop-down menus. Although these components contain values (words) that may be selected by one or more character keys, the shortcuts are only active when the components have focus. Other components such as menus may be accessed or opened with a single non-character shortcut (e.g., Alt or Alt+F) before pressing a single character key to select an item. This makes the full path to invoking a menu a two-step shortcut that includes a non-printable key. Accesskeys are also not affected because they are generally (depending on the user agent) triggered using modifier keys.

-

Background on the mechanics of speech input

  -

Speech Input users generally work in a single mode where they can use a mix of dictation and speech commands. This works well because the user knows to pause before and after commands, and commands are usually at least two words long. So, for instance, a user might say a bit of dictation, such as "the small boat", then pause, and say a command to delete that dictation, such as "Delete Line". In contrast, if the user were to say the two phrases together without a pause, the whole phrase would come out as dictation (i.e., "the small boat delete line"). Although speech input programs often include modes that listen only for dictation or only for commands, most speech users use the all-encompassing mode all the time because it is a much more efficient workflow. It could decrease command efficiency significantly if users were to change to command mode and back before and after issuing each command.

-

Speech users can also speak most keyboard commands (e.g., "press Control Foxtrot") without any problems. If the website or app is keyboard enabled, the speech user can also write a native speech macro that calls the keyboard command, such as "This Print" to carry out Ctrl+P.

-

Single-key shortcuts are the exception. While using single letter keys as controls might be appropriate and efficient for many keyboard users, single-key shortcuts are disastrous for speech users. The reason for this is that when only a single key is used to trip a command, a spoken word can become a barrage of single-key commands if the cursor focus happens to be in the wrong place.

-

For example, a speech-input user named Kim has her cursor focus in the main window of a web mail application that uses common keyboard shortcuts to navigate (k), archive (y) and mute messages (m). A coworker named Mike enters her office and says "Hey Kim" and her microphone picks that up. The Y of "hey" archives the current message. K in "Kim" moves down one conversation and M mutes a message or thread. And, if Kim looks up and says "Hey Mike" without remembering to turn off the microphone, the same three things happen in a different sequence.

-

A user interacting with a webpage or web app that doesn't use single-character shortcuts doesn't have this problem. Inadvertent strings of characters from the speech application are not interpreted as shortcuts if a modifier key is required. A speech user filling in a text input form may find that a phrase that is accidentally picked up by the speech microphone results in stray text being entered into the field, but that is easily seen and undone. The Resources section of this page contains links to videos demonstrating these types of issues.

+

The intent of this Success Criterion is to reduce accidental activation of keyboard shortcuts. Character key shortcuts work well for many keyboard users, but are inappropriate and frustrating for speech input users — whose means of input is strings of letters — and for keyboard users who are prone to accidentally hit keys. To rectify this issue, authors need to allow users to turn off or reconfigure shortcuts that are made up of only character keys.

+
+

Even though this Success Criterion refers to character keys, note that it's not relevant whether a shortcut can be activated using a single physical key on a keyboard, or if it requires a combination of keys to be pressed. For instance, on most full-size US and UK keyboard, the ? (question mark) symbol is accessed using Shift+/ (forward slash key next to the right-hand Shift key). The é (lowercase e with an acute accent) requires the use of AltGr+e. The specific key combination required for certain characters will also vary depending on the user's keyboard layout. However, shortcuts that use these characters still fall under the requirements of this Success Criterion. What matters is that a shortcut relies on a printable character (letters, punctuation, numbers, symbol characters), and not the number of physical keyboard keys that users need to press to trigger it.

+
+

This success criterion doesn't affect components such as listboxes and drop-down menus. Although these components contain values (words) that may be selected by one or more character keys, the shortcuts are only active when the components have focus. Other components such as menus may be accessed or opened with a single non-character shortcut (e.g., Alt or Alt+F) before pressing a single character key to select an item. This makes the full path to invoking a menu a two-step shortcut that includes a non-printable key. Accesskeys are also not affected because they are generally (depending on the user agent) triggered using modifier keys.

+

Background on the mechanics of speech input

+

Speech Input users generally work in a single mode where they can use a mix of dictation and speech commands. This works well because the user knows to pause before and after commands, and commands are usually at least two words long. So, for instance, a user might say a bit of dictation, such as "the small boat", then pause, and say a command to delete that dictation, such as "Delete Line". In contrast, if the user were to say the two phrases together without a pause, the whole phrase would come out as dictation (i.e., "the small boat delete line"). Although speech input programs often include modes that listen only for dictation or only for commands, most speech users use the all-encompassing mode all the time because it is a much more efficient workflow. It could decrease command efficiency significantly if users were to change to command mode and back before and after issuing each command.

+

Speech users can also speak most keyboard commands (e.g., "press Control Foxtrot") without any problems. If the website or app is keyboard enabled, the speech user can also write a native speech macro that calls the keyboard command, such as "This Print" to carry out Ctrl+P.

+

Single-key shortcuts are the exception. While using single letter keys as controls might be appropriate and efficient for many keyboard users, single-key shortcuts are disastrous for speech users. The reason for this is that when only a single key is used to trip a command, a spoken word can become a barrage of single-key commands if the cursor focus happens to be in the wrong place.

+

For example, a speech-input user named Kim has her cursor focus in the main window of a web mail application that uses common keyboard shortcuts to navigate (k), archive (y) and mute messages (m). A coworker named Mike enters her office and says "Hey Kim" and her microphone picks that up. The Y of "hey" archives the current message. K in "Kim" moves down one conversation and M mutes a message or thread. And, if Kim looks up and says "Hey Mike" without remembering to turn off the microphone, the same three things happen in a different sequence.

+

A user interacting with a webpage or web app that doesn't use single-character shortcuts doesn't have this problem. Inadvertent strings of characters from the speech application are not interpreted as shortcuts if a modifier key is required. A speech user filling in a text input form may find that a phrase that is accidentally picked up by the speech microphone results in stray text being entered into the field, but that is easily seen and undone. The Resources section of this page contains links to videos demonstrating these types of issues.

Benefits

    -
  • Speech users will be able to turn off single-key shortcuts so they can avoid accidentally firing batches of them at once. This will allow speech users to make full use of programs that offer single-key shortcuts to keyboard users.
    • -
  • Keyboard-only users who have dexterity challenges can also be prone to accidentally hitting keys. Those users would be able to avoid problematic single character shortcuts by turning them off or modifying them to include at least one non-character key.
    • -
  • Allowing all shortcut keys to be remapped can help users with some cognitive disabilities, since the same shortcuts can be assigned to perform the same actions across different applications.
    • -
+
  • Speech users will be able to turn off single-key shortcuts so they can avoid accidentally firing batches of them at once. This will allow speech users to make full use of programs that offer single-key shortcuts to keyboard users.
    • +
  • Keyboard-only users who have dexterity challenges can also be prone to accidentally hitting keys. Those users would be able to avoid problematic single character shortcuts by turning them off or modifying them to include at least one non-character key.
    • +
  • Allowing all shortcut keys to be remapped can help users with some cognitive disabilities, since the same shortcuts can be assigned to perform the same actions across different applications.
    • +

    Examples

    - -

    Disable Shortcuts

    -

    A mechanism is provided to allow users to disable character-key shortcuts. The character key shortcuts are not the only way to carry out these commands. A speech user disables the shortcuts and can prevent words that are picked up by the microphone from triggering single-key shortcuts.

    +

    Disable Shortcuts

    +

    A mechanism is provided to allow users to disable character-key shortcuts. The character key shortcuts are not the only way to carry out these commands. A speech user disables the shortcuts and can prevent words that are picked up by the microphone from triggering single-key shortcuts.

    - -

    Alternate Control

    - -

    A keyboard-only user is in a long issues thread. While reading the thread she accidentally hits the S key, which moves focus to the search bar at the top of the document. This causes her to lose her place and her train of thought. However, a mechanism is provided to allow users to change character-key shortcuts. She changes the shortcut to include another key so she can avoid future interruptions.

    +

    Alternate Control

    +

    A keyboard-only user is in a long issues thread. While reading the thread she accidentally hits the S key, which moves focus to the search bar at the top of the document. This causes her to lose her place and her train of thought. However, a mechanism is provided to allow users to change character-key shortcuts. She changes the shortcut to include another key so she can avoid future interruptions.

    - -
    +

    Resources

    Web apps that use character-key shortcuts and allow users to disable and/or change these shortcuts:

    -
      -
    • Gmail
      • -
    • WordPress
      • -
    -

    Videos of speech user trouble with single character key shortcuts:

    -
    +

    Techniques

    From a3c9e40da3dd5204c1ebd4ddbdeecdc99a9379f5 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: "Patrick H. Lauke" Date: Sun, 16 Oct 2022 10:34:32 +0100 Subject: [PATCH 07/12] Add extra note about sequences of character keys --- understanding/21/character-key-shortcuts.html | 3 +++ 1 file changed, 3 insertions(+) diff --git a/understanding/21/character-key-shortcuts.html b/understanding/21/character-key-shortcuts.html index dc183b98e5..e55e635fab 100644 --- a/understanding/21/character-key-shortcuts.html +++ b/understanding/21/character-key-shortcuts.html @@ -13,6 +13,9 @@

    Intent

    Even though this Success Criterion refers to character keys, note that it's not relevant whether a shortcut can be activated using a single physical key on a keyboard, or if it requires a combination of keys to be pressed. For instance, on most full-size US and UK keyboard, the ? (question mark) symbol is accessed using Shift+/ (forward slash key next to the right-hand Shift key). The é (lowercase e with an acute accent) requires the use of AltGr+e. The specific key combination required for certain characters will also vary depending on the user's keyboard layout. However, shortcuts that use these characters still fall under the requirements of this Success Criterion. What matters is that a shortcut relies on a printable character (letters, punctuation, numbers, symbol characters), and not the number of physical keyboard keys that users need to press to trigger it.

    +
    +

    The Success Criterion also applies to situations where a shortcut is based on a sequence of character keys – for example, pressing G and then A in quick succession to trigger an action. While the individual character key presses don't immediately trigger the action, overall these types of shortcuts still rely on a series of character keys.

    +

    This success criterion doesn't affect components such as listboxes and drop-down menus. Although these components contain values (words) that may be selected by one or more character keys, the shortcuts are only active when the components have focus. Other components such as menus may be accessed or opened with a single non-character shortcut (e.g., Alt or Alt+F) before pressing a single character key to select an item. This makes the full path to invoking a menu a two-step shortcut that includes a non-printable key. Accesskeys are also not affected because they are generally (depending on the user agent) triggered using modifier keys.

    Background on the mechanics of speech input

    Speech Input users generally work in a single mode where they can use a mix of dictation and speech commands. This works well because the user knows to pause before and after commands, and commands are usually at least two words long. So, for instance, a user might say a bit of dictation, such as "the small boat", then pause, and say a command to delete that dictation, such as "Delete Line". In contrast, if the user were to say the two phrases together without a pause, the whole phrase would come out as dictation (i.e., "the small boat delete line"). Although speech input programs often include modes that listen only for dictation or only for commands, most speech users use the all-encompassing mode all the time because it is a much more efficient workflow. It could decrease command efficiency significantly if users were to change to command mode and back before and after issuing each command.

    From bb5bd5a2b1c7bf094c2346524d1e6b36f6982bb2 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: "Patrick H. Lauke" Date: Wed, 31 Jul 2024 10:14:18 +0100 Subject: [PATCH 08/12] Reintroduce all intended changes after a hasty merge commit that wiped them all --- understanding/21/character-key-shortcuts.html | 18 +++++++++++------- 1 file changed, 11 insertions(+), 7 deletions(-) diff --git a/understanding/21/character-key-shortcuts.html b/understanding/21/character-key-shortcuts.html index 2885151621..5cef939953 100644 --- a/understanding/21/character-key-shortcuts.html +++ b/understanding/21/character-key-shortcuts.html @@ -15,19 +15,23 @@

    In brief

    What to do
    Ensure character-only shortcut keys can be turned off or modified.
    Why it's important
    Character-key shortcuts are easy to accidentally trigger, especially with speech input.
    -

    Intent

    -

    The intent of this Success Criterion is to reduce accidental activation of keyboard shortcuts. Character key shortcuts work well for many keyboard users, but are inappropriate and frustrating for speech input users — whose means of input is strings of letters — and for keyboard users who are prone to accidentally hit keys. - To rectify this issue, authors need to allow users to turn off or reconfigure shortcuts that are made up of only character keys.

    -

    Note that this success criterion doesn't affect components such as listboxes and drop-down menus. Although these components contain values (words) that may be selected by one or more character keys, the shortcuts are only active when the components have focus. Other components such as menus may be accessed or opened with a single non-character shortcut (e.g., Alt or Alt+F) before pressing a single character key to select an item. This makes the full path to invoking a menu a two-step shortcut that includes a non-printable key. Accesskeys are also not affected because they include modifier keys.

    -

    Background on the mechanics of speech input:

    +

    The intent of this Success Criterion is to reduce accidental activation of keyboard shortcuts. Character key shortcuts work well for many keyboard users, but are inappropriate and frustrating for speech input users – whose means of input is strings of letters – and for keyboard users who are prone to accidentally hit keys. To rectify this issue, authors need to allow users to turn off or reconfigure shortcuts that are made up of only character keys.

    +
    +

    Even though this Success Criterion refers to character keys, note that it's not relevant whether a shortcut can be activated using a single physical key on a keyboard, or if it requires a combination of keys to be pressed. For instance, on most full-size US and UK keyboard, the ? (question mark) symbol is accessed using Shift+/ (forward slash key next to the right-hand Shift key). The é (lowercase e with an acute accent) requires the use of AltGr+e. The specific key combination required for certain characters will also vary depending on the user's keyboard layout. However, shortcuts that use these characters still fall under the requirements of this Success Criterion. What matters is that a shortcut relies on a printable character (letters, punctuation, numbers, symbol characters), and not the number of physical keyboard keys that users need to press to trigger it.

    +
    +
    +

    The Success Criterion also applies to situations where a shortcut is based on a sequence of character keys – for example, pressing G and then A in quick succession to trigger an action. While the individual character key presses don't immediately trigger the action, overall these types of shortcuts still rely on a series of character keys.

    +
    +

    This success criterion doesn't affect components such as listboxes and drop-down menus. Although these components contain values (words) that may be selected by one or more character keys, the shortcuts are only active when the components have focus. Other components such as menus may be accessed or opened with a single non-character shortcut (e.g., Alt or Alt+F) before pressing a single character key to select an item. This makes the full path to invoking a menu a two-step shortcut that includes a non-printable key. Accesskeys are also not affected because they are generally (depending on the user agent) activated using modifier keys.

    +

    Background on the mechanics of speech input

    Speech Input users generally work in a single mode where they can use a mix of dictation and speech commands. This works well because the user knows to pause before and after commands, and commands are usually at least two words long. So, for instance, a user might say a bit of dictation, such as "the small boat", then pause, and say a command to delete that dictation, such as "Delete Line". In contrast, if the user were to say the two phrases together without a pause, the whole phrase would come out as dictation (i.e., "the small boat delete line"). Although speech input programs often include modes that listen only for dictation or only for commands, most speech users use the all-encompassing mode all the time because it is a much more efficient workflow. It could decrease command efficiency significantly if users were to change to command mode and back before and after issuing each command.

    -

    Speech users can also speak most keyboard commands (e.g., "press Control Foxtrot") without any problems. If the website or app is keyboard enabled, the speech user can also write a native speech macro that calls the keyboard command, such as "This Print" to carry out Ctrl+P.

    +

    Speech users can also speak most keyboard commands (e.g., "press Control Foxtrot") without any problems. If the website or app is keyboard enabled, the speech user can also write a native speech macro that calls the keyboard command, such as "This Print" to carry outCtrl+P.

    Single-key shortcuts are the exception. While using single letter keys as controls might be appropriate and efficient for many keyboard users, single-key shortcuts are disastrous for speech users. The reason for this is that when only a single key is used to trip a command, a spoken word can become a barrage of single-key commands if the cursor focus happens to be in the wrong place.

    -

    For example, a speech-input user named Kim has her cursor focus in the main window of a web mail application that uses common keyboard shortcuts to navigate ("k"), archive ("y") and mute messages ("m"). A coworker named Mike enters her office and says "Hey Kim" and her microphone picks that up. The Y of "hey" archives the current message. K in "Kim" moves down one conversation and M mutes a message or thread. And, if Kim looks up and says "Hey Mike" without remembering to turn off the microphone, the same three things happen in a different sequence.

    +

    For example, a speech-input user named Kim has her cursor focus in the main window of a web mail application that uses common keyboard shortcuts to navigate (k), archive (y) and mute messages (m). A coworker named Mike enters her office and says "Hey Kim" and her microphone picks that up. The Y of "hey" archives the current message. K in "Kim" moves down one conversation and M mutes a message or thread. And, if Kim looks up and says "Hey Mike" without remembering to turn off the microphone, the same three things happen in a different sequence.

    A user interacting with a webpage or web app that doesn't use single-character shortcuts doesn't have this problem. Inadvertent strings of characters from the speech application are not interpreted as shortcuts if a modifier key is required. A speech user filling in a text input form may find that a phrase that is accidentally picked up by the speech microphone results in stray text being entered into the field, but that is easily seen and undone. The Resources section of this page contains links to videos demonstrating these types of issues.

    Benefits

    From 8bcd3347d672a8d5b0378f1f355dbd1c011c3558 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: Mike Gower Date: Wed, 7 Aug 2024 15:06:22 -0700 Subject: [PATCH 09/12] Update understanding/21/character-key-shortcuts.html --- understanding/21/character-key-shortcuts.html | 2 +- 1 file changed, 1 insertion(+), 1 deletion(-) diff --git a/understanding/21/character-key-shortcuts.html b/understanding/21/character-key-shortcuts.html index 5cef939953..9898ff402d 100644 --- a/understanding/21/character-key-shortcuts.html +++ b/understanding/21/character-key-shortcuts.html @@ -19,7 +19,7 @@

    In brief

    Intent

    -

    The intent of this Success Criterion is to reduce accidental activation of keyboard shortcuts. Character key shortcuts work well for many keyboard users, but are inappropriate and frustrating for speech input users – whose means of input is strings of letters – and for keyboard users who are prone to accidentally hit keys. To rectify this issue, authors need to allow users to turn off or reconfigure shortcuts that are made up of only character keys.

    +

    The intent of this Success Criterion is to reduce accidental activation of keyboard shortcuts. Character key shortcuts work well for many keyboard users, but are inappropriate and frustrating for speech input users, whose dictation is interpreted as strings of letters, and for keyboard users, who are prone to accidentally hit keys. To rectify this issue, authors need to allow users to turn off or reconfigure shortcuts that are made up of only character keys.

    Even though this Success Criterion refers to character keys, note that it's not relevant whether a shortcut can be activated using a single physical key on a keyboard, or if it requires a combination of keys to be pressed. For instance, on most full-size US and UK keyboard, the ? (question mark) symbol is accessed using Shift+/ (forward slash key next to the right-hand Shift key). The é (lowercase e with an acute accent) requires the use of AltGr+e. The specific key combination required for certain characters will also vary depending on the user's keyboard layout. However, shortcuts that use these characters still fall under the requirements of this Success Criterion. What matters is that a shortcut relies on a printable character (letters, punctuation, numbers, symbol characters), and not the number of physical keyboard keys that users need to press to trigger it.

    From 716f7cecc9e28c3cae978a7a128f148e4c45b659 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: "Patrick H. Lauke" Date: Thu, 8 Aug 2024 23:53:34 +0100 Subject: [PATCH 10/12] Clarify `AltGr` being Windows-specific, and use nested `` --- understanding/21/character-key-shortcuts.html | 6 +++--- 1 file changed, 3 insertions(+), 3 deletions(-) diff --git a/understanding/21/character-key-shortcuts.html b/understanding/21/character-key-shortcuts.html index 9898ff402d..db863ea55b 100644 --- a/understanding/21/character-key-shortcuts.html +++ b/understanding/21/character-key-shortcuts.html @@ -21,15 +21,15 @@

    In brief

    Intent

    The intent of this Success Criterion is to reduce accidental activation of keyboard shortcuts. Character key shortcuts work well for many keyboard users, but are inappropriate and frustrating for speech input users, whose dictation is interpreted as strings of letters, and for keyboard users, who are prone to accidentally hit keys. To rectify this issue, authors need to allow users to turn off or reconfigure shortcuts that are made up of only character keys.

    -

    Even though this Success Criterion refers to character keys, note that it's not relevant whether a shortcut can be activated using a single physical key on a keyboard, or if it requires a combination of keys to be pressed. For instance, on most full-size US and UK keyboard, the ? (question mark) symbol is accessed using Shift+/ (forward slash key next to the right-hand Shift key). The é (lowercase e with an acute accent) requires the use of AltGr+e. The specific key combination required for certain characters will also vary depending on the user's keyboard layout. However, shortcuts that use these characters still fall under the requirements of this Success Criterion. What matters is that a shortcut relies on a printable character (letters, punctuation, numbers, symbol characters), and not the number of physical keyboard keys that users need to press to trigger it.

    +

    Even though this Success Criterion refers to character keys, note that it's not relevant whether a shortcut can be activated using a single physical key on a keyboard, or if it requires a combination of keys to be pressed. For instance, on most full-size US and UK keyboard, the ? (question mark) symbol is accessed using Shift+/ (forward slash key next to the right-hand Shift key). On a UK keyboard, in Windows, the é (lowercase "e" with an acute accent) requires the use of AltGr+e. The specific key combination required for certain characters will also vary depending on the user's keyboard layout. However, shortcuts that use these characters still fall under the requirements of this Success Criterion. What matters is that a shortcut relies on a printable character (letters, punctuation, numbers, symbol characters), and not the number of physical keyboard keys that users need to press to trigger it.

    The Success Criterion also applies to situations where a shortcut is based on a sequence of character keys – for example, pressing G and then A in quick succession to trigger an action. While the individual character key presses don't immediately trigger the action, overall these types of shortcuts still rely on a series of character keys.

    -

    This success criterion doesn't affect components such as listboxes and drop-down menus. Although these components contain values (words) that may be selected by one or more character keys, the shortcuts are only active when the components have focus. Other components such as menus may be accessed or opened with a single non-character shortcut (e.g., Alt or Alt+F) before pressing a single character key to select an item. This makes the full path to invoking a menu a two-step shortcut that includes a non-printable key. Accesskeys are also not affected because they are generally (depending on the user agent) activated using modifier keys.

    +

    This success criterion doesn't affect components such as listboxes and drop-down menus. Although these components contain values (words) that may be selected by one or more character keys, the shortcuts are only active when the components have focus. Other components such as menus may be accessed or opened with a single non-character shortcut (e.g., Alt or Alt+F) before pressing a single character key to select an item. This makes the full path to invoking a menu a two-step shortcut that includes a non-printable key. Accesskeys are also not affected because they are generally (depending on the user agent) activated using modifier keys.

    Background on the mechanics of speech input

    Speech Input users generally work in a single mode where they can use a mix of dictation and speech commands. This works well because the user knows to pause before and after commands, and commands are usually at least two words long. So, for instance, a user might say a bit of dictation, such as "the small boat", then pause, and say a command to delete that dictation, such as "Delete Line". In contrast, if the user were to say the two phrases together without a pause, the whole phrase would come out as dictation (i.e., "the small boat delete line"). Although speech input programs often include modes that listen only for dictation or only for commands, most speech users use the all-encompassing mode all the time because it is a much more efficient workflow. It could decrease command efficiency significantly if users were to change to command mode and back before and after issuing each command.

    -

    Speech users can also speak most keyboard commands (e.g., "press Control Foxtrot") without any problems. If the website or app is keyboard enabled, the speech user can also write a native speech macro that calls the keyboard command, such as "This Print" to carry outCtrl+P.

    +

    Speech users can also speak most keyboard commands (e.g., "press Control Foxtrot") without any problems. If the website or app is keyboard enabled, the speech user can also write a native speech macro that calls the keyboard command, such as "This Print" to carry out Ctrl+P.

    Single-key shortcuts are the exception. While using single letter keys as controls might be appropriate and efficient for many keyboard users, single-key shortcuts are disastrous for speech users. The reason for this is that when only a single key is used to trip a command, a spoken word can become a barrage of single-key commands if the cursor focus happens to be in the wrong place.

    For example, a speech-input user named Kim has her cursor focus in the main window of a web mail application that uses common keyboard shortcuts to navigate (k), archive (y) and mute messages (m). A coworker named Mike enters her office and says "Hey Kim" and her microphone picks that up. The Y of "hey" archives the current message. K in "Kim" moves down one conversation and M mutes a message or thread. And, if Kim looks up and says "Hey Mike" without remembering to turn off the microphone, the same three things happen in a different sequence.

    A user interacting with a webpage or web app that doesn't use single-character shortcuts doesn't have this problem. Inadvertent strings of characters from the speech application are not interpreted as shortcuts if a modifier key is required. A speech user filling in a text input form may find that a phrase that is accidentally picked up by the speech microphone results in stray text being entered into the field, but that is easily seen and undone. The Resources section of this page contains links to videos demonstrating these types of issues.

    From 4f332783a9afc3db948f07c664bd6ae66c2dda33 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: "Patrick H. Lauke" Date: Thu, 8 Aug 2024 23:54:31 +0100 Subject: [PATCH 11/12] Remove unnecessary whitespace --- understanding/21/character-key-shortcuts.html | 4 ++-- 1 file changed, 2 insertions(+), 2 deletions(-) diff --git a/understanding/21/character-key-shortcuts.html b/understanding/21/character-key-shortcuts.html index db863ea55b..03822295fa 100644 --- a/understanding/21/character-key-shortcuts.html +++ b/understanding/21/character-key-shortcuts.html @@ -64,12 +64,12 @@

    Resources

    +

    Techniques

    -

    Sufficient

    +

    Sufficient

    From ff596530276758a9e062a63532b7539732cc1963 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: "Patrick H. Lauke" Date: Tue, 20 Aug 2024 20:20:53 +0100 Subject: [PATCH 12/12] Update understanding/21/character-key-shortcuts.html Co-authored-by: Alastair Campbell --- understanding/21/character-key-shortcuts.html | 2 +- 1 file changed, 1 insertion(+), 1 deletion(-) diff --git a/understanding/21/character-key-shortcuts.html b/understanding/21/character-key-shortcuts.html index 03822295fa..8cbc3a5c30 100644 --- a/understanding/21/character-key-shortcuts.html +++ b/understanding/21/character-key-shortcuts.html @@ -19,7 +19,7 @@

    In brief

    Intent

    -

    The intent of this Success Criterion is to reduce accidental activation of keyboard shortcuts. Character key shortcuts work well for many keyboard users, but are inappropriate and frustrating for speech input users, whose dictation is interpreted as strings of letters, and for keyboard users, who are prone to accidentally hit keys. To rectify this issue, authors need to allow users to turn off or reconfigure shortcuts that are made up of only character keys.

    +

    The intent of this Success Criterion is to reduce accidental activation of keyboard shortcuts. Character key shortcuts work well for many keyboard users. However, they can be inappropriate and frustrating for speech input users whose dictation is interpreted as strings of letters, and for keyboard users who are prone to accidentally hit keys. To rectify this issue, authors need to allow users to turn off or reconfigure shortcuts that are made up of only character keys.

    Even though this Success Criterion refers to character keys, note that it's not relevant whether a shortcut can be activated using a single physical key on a keyboard, or if it requires a combination of keys to be pressed. For instance, on most full-size US and UK keyboard, the ? (question mark) symbol is accessed using Shift+/ (forward slash key next to the right-hand Shift key). On a UK keyboard, in Windows, the é (lowercase "e" with an acute accent) requires the use of AltGr+e. The specific key combination required for certain characters will also vary depending on the user's keyboard layout. However, shortcuts that use these characters still fall under the requirements of this Success Criterion. What matters is that a shortcut relies on a printable character (letters, punctuation, numbers, symbol characters), and not the number of physical keyboard keys that users need to press to trigger it.