Mastodon: Toolbar icons need accessible names

[LJWatson]

The toolbar icons ("Getting started", "Local timeline", "Federated timeline", "Preferences", "Logout") do not have proper accessible names. For example:

<a title="Getting started" class="drawer__tab" href="/web/getting-started">
<i class="fa fa-fw fa-asterisk"></i>
</a>

This means that in some circumstances the purpose of the link is not being announced by screen readers. The problem is that the <i> element is the only content of the link, and it has no actual content for screen readers to use.

Note: When using the tab key to navigate the links, the title attribute does provide the necessary information. However, the title attribute should not be used in this context.

The solution is to remove the title attribute (to avoid the previous problem, and to avoid duplication with the correct solution), and use ARIA to enable screen readers to recognise the <i> element. For example:

<a class="drawer__tab" href="/web/getting-started">
<i role="img" aria-label="Getting started" class="fa fa-fw fa-asterisk"></i>
</a>

[wxcafe]

Can you submit a PR for this?

[LJWatson]

@wxcafe
I would, but I don't use React.js myself, sorry.

[AntonioVdlC]

I can work on this if nobody else is! 🙂

[wxcafe]

Sure yeah! 😊

Clément 'wxcafé' Hertling

On 9 Apr 2017, at 8:17 PM, Antonio Villagra De La Cruz [e-mail] wrote:

I can work on this if nobody else is! 🙂

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[fvsch]

I would recommend keeping the title attribute as well, since it was probably intended to make the interface more usable (at least for some mouse/trackpad users).

<a title="Getting started" class="drawer__tab" href="/web/getting-started">
  <i role="img" aria-label="Getting started" class="fa fa-fw fa-asterisk"></i>
</a>

[IanPouncey]

The problem with using title to provide necessary information is that it only works for pointing device users. People using a keyboard, touch screen, voice input, etc. will still not be able to discover what the link is for.

When icons are used but their meaning is not clear they should be accompanied by text to provide a usable experience. Beyond the need for an accessible name, this is a design problem as much as a technical implementation problem.

Note that the small screen size icon links do not have a title attribute but also lack an accessible name.

[jpdevries]

I noticed this as well. Made a quick VoiceOver GIF showing the issue

GIF

I'm with @fvsch on it is OK to keep title as long as there is an accessible attribute like aria-label as well. I have noticed that some assistive technology would complete ignore the <a><i></i></a> pattern because they see that element as semantically "empty" which is why a possibly safer pattern would be

<a title="Getting started" class="drawer__tab" href="/web/getting-started">
  <i role="img" class="fa fa-fw fa-asterisk"></i>
  <span class="visually-hidden">Getting started</span>
</a>

http://a11yproject.com/posts/how-to-hide-content/

UPDATE
Upon further review, as mentioned in the issue description, as long as aria-label is present AT will not ignore the <i>

[LJWatson]

It really isn't a good idea to use the title attribute in this context. This article on using the HTML title attribute (written by one of the editors of the HTML5 specification) explains why.

The code suggested by @jpdevries has a few problems:

<a title="Getting started" class="drawer__tab" href="/web/getting-started">
  <i role="img" class="fa fa-fw fa-asterisk"></i>
  <span class="visually-hidden">Getting started</span>
</a>

If you use role="img" on the <i> element without giving it an accessible name, the browser will treat it like an <img> element without an alt attribute.

If you visually hide the text inside the <a> element, you stop it being usable by sighted people who need it to correctly interpret the purpose of the icon.

If you use the title attribute on the <a> element, you encounter all the problems described with the title attribute. Plus you are applying an accessible name to the wrong element (it needs to be on the <i> element, not the <a> element.

So taking @IanPouncey's comment into account, the best code to use would be:

<a class="drawer__tab" href="/web/getting-started">
  <i role="img" aria-label="" class="fa fa-fw fa-asterisk"></i>
Getting started
</a>

[jpdevries]

Thanks @LJWatson! That is all really good to know. I submitted a PR that adds aria-label and role to the <i>. While it is not the best code, it seemed the most likely to be merged. Design wise, the toolbar icons don't seem to have room to visually show text along with the icon for each action, and I'm assuming they'll want the inaccessible "title" mouse only tooltip to stay.

[jpdevries]

While there isn't enough room to display text next to the toolbar icons inline, what if we displayed the title of the active icon beneath the toolbar?

Perhaps aria-labelledby could be used to associate the icons and their associated description below? Either way it might help sighted users, particularly sighted keyboard users, understand where they are in the app more.

And maybe there could be a preference for whether or not to "Use Descriptive Buttons".

[jessebeach]

The solution is to remove the title attribute (to avoid the previous problem, and to avoid duplication with the correct solution), and use ARIA to enable screen readers to recognise the <i> element.

@LJWatson What's your opinion on putting that aria-label on the control element, in this case the <a href>, instead of the <i> element? I tend to prefer this over labelling icons, because in cases where the icon is presented in addition to text content, the icon will result in duplication in the label. Putting the aria-label on the control locates the label with the control element it will be associated with in the AX Tree ultimately.

[LJWatson]

@jessebeach
If there is text content plus the <i> element inside the <a>, then putting aria-label on the <a> makes sense.

An additional thought is that if there is visible text content inside the <a> element, then the <i> might as well have aria-hidden on it instead?

<a class="drawer__tab" href="/web/getting-started" aria-label="Getting started">
<i aria-hidden="true" class="fa fa-fw fa-asterisk"></i>Getting started
</a>

[jessebeach]

An additional thought is that if there is visible text content inside the <a> element, then the <i> might as well have aria-hidden on it instead?

As long as the <i> never has content, it shouldn't produce a node in the AX Tree. I'd stop just short of aria-hidden. Once the Pandora's box is opened, I've seen dev's throw their pattern-matching facilities into high gear and start applying it all over the place =D

[LJWatson]

I've just realised that these toolbar links control what's displayed in one of the columns... and only because someone sighted pointed it out. Should there be aria-controls on each <a> pointing to the id of that column?

[jessebeach]

What behavior would that precipitate? Is it forward-looking AT support?

[LJWatson]

It establishes a relationship between the controller (the link) and the thing being controlled (the column). Its useful when you can't appreciate that relationship visually.

Jaws is the only screen reader with support at present (though hopefully others will follow suit). When focus moves to the control, Jaws indicates that it controls some content and provides a shortcut for navigating straight to the controlled content if you wish.

[jessebeach]

When focus moves to the control, Jaws indicates that it controls some content and provides a shortcut for navigating straight to the controlled content if you wish

Nice, I did not know this. Thank you for the clarification.

[stephenburgess8]

Let me know if there are adjustments I could make to this PR. Details in the description. Thanks. ✌️

[wxcafe]

@LJWatson @stephenburgess8 can we close this issue now that the PR has been merged? :)