Accessible Design of Consumer Products

SECTION 4: DOCUMENTATION. Primarily operating instructions

Maximize the number of people who can ...

D-1 access the documentation.

D-2 understand the documentation.

D-1. Maximize the number of people who can ... access the documentation.

Problem:

Printed documentation (e.g. operating or installation instructions) may not be readable.

Examples:

• Individuals with low vision may not be able to read documentation due to small size or poor format.
• Poor choice of colors may make diagrams ambiguous for people with color-blindness.
• People who are blind cannot use printed documentation, especially graphics.
• People with severe physical impairments may find it difficult or impossible to handle printed documentation.

Design Options and Ideas to Consider:

• Providing documentation in alternate formats: electronic, large-print, audio tape, and/or braille.
• Using large fonts
• Using sans-serif fonts
• Making sure that...
  • leading (space between the letters of a word)
  • the space between lines
  • the distance between topics is sufficient that the letters and topics to stand out distinctly from each other.
• Making sure that leading (space between the letters of a word) and the space between lines is sufficient that the letters stand out distinctly from each other.
• Any information which is presented via color-coding could be presented in some other way which doesn't rely on color (e.g., bar charts may use various black-and-white patterns under the colors or patterns in the colors).
• Providing a text description of all graphics (this is especially important for use in electronic, taped and large print forms).
• Providing basic instructions directly on the device as well as in the documentation.
• Making printed documentation "Scanner/OCR-friendly" (see below).

Additional Information:

• To test to see whether the pictures in a document are truly covered in the text you remove the pictures, can you still figure out how to use the device?
• Large print is very effective with older individuals who develop low vision, since they often do not have powerful reading tools. Large print labels (as recommended in I-3) might be provided also.
• Block style and black-on-white background are easiest to see. Stroke width-to-height ratios of 1:6 to 1:8 are best, where the width is 2/3 the height. Capital letters and numbers are the most easily read.
• As optical character recognition (OCR) software becomes more sophisticated, it will become continually easier to be "Scanner/OCR friendly". Current scanners/OCR software have trouble with:
  • text/background colors which are not high contrast (black on white is recommended),
  • highly stylized or broken fonts,
  • pictures which are screened and placed behind the text,
  • text which is not arranged in straight rectangular columns, and
  • text which flows around graphics.
• Electronic documentation has a number of advantages, including:
  • Eliminates the need to handle pages for people with physical disabilities.
  • Allows large on-screen presentation of information in optimal fonts for people with low vision.
  • Facilitates translation of the information into braille or synthetic speech.
  • Facilitates searching of text for particular words or topics.
  • May be output in a variety of formats: speech, print, large print, braille, etc.
• The most common format for electronic documentation today would be in ASCII text on a 720K, 3-1/2" MS-DOS diskette, although the information would optimally also be available in MS-DOS 360K, 5-1/4" disks and Macintosh 800K disks. (See O-5.)
• Page description languages may be standard enough in the future that they would provide a better electronic documentation format that could include additional types of information not easily presented in ASCII-only files.
• Audio cassettes have the advantages that they are relatively low cost and can be used by individuals with physical disabilities, low vision, blindness, and learning disabilities. Electronic documentation also has these characteristics (and is even less expensive) but requires that the user have a computer with suitable adaptive accessories.
• Video tapes are also effective, especially when the video information is presented redundantly (i.e., the videotape can be understood with the screen turned off).
• The product could contain a mail-in request for the alternate forms of documentation.

Examples:

• Individuals with cognitive impairments may have difficulty following multi-step instructions.

• Individuals with language difficulties or for whom English is a second language (including people with deafness) may have difficulty understanding complex text.
• People with learning difficulties may have difficulty distinguishing directional terms.

• Providing clear, concise descriptions of the product and its initial setup.
• Providing descriptions that do not require pictures (words and numbers used redundantly with pictures and tables), at least for all the basic operations (see below).
• Formatting with plenty of "white space" used to create small text groupings, bullet points.
• Highlighting key information by using large, bold letters, and put it near the front of text.
• Providing step-by-step instructions which are numbered, bulleted, or have check boxes.
• Using affirmative instead of negative or passive statements. Keeping sentence structure simple (i.e., one clause).
• Avoiding directional terms (e.g., left, right, up, down) where possible.
• Providing a basic "bare bones" form or section to the documentation that just gets you up and running with the basic features.

NOTE: See also O-6, I-6 and M-4.

Additional Information:

• Tests to see whether the words and numbers in a document are redundant with the pictures:

  Test A: If you erase or obliterate the words and numbers, can you still figure out how to use the device?

  Test B: If you remove the pictures, can you still figure out how to use the device?

• Audio and Video cassettes provide effective alternatives to printed documentation and can show operation of products for people who cannot read. For some products, carefully prepared videotapes allow effective demonstration of product use even if the person doesn't understand the language.

NOTE: See also additional information section in O-6, I-6 and M-4.

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