{"id":5121,"date":"2020-05-13T18:08:27","date_gmt":"2020-05-13T18:08:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/owncloud.com\/?p=5121"},"modified":"2020-07-07T18:09:31","modified_gmt":"2020-07-07T18:09:31","slug":"laying-accessibility-groundwork-in-ownclouds-new-web-interface","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/owncloud.com\/de\/blogs\/laying-accessibility-groundwork-in-ownclouds-new-web-interface\/","title":{"rendered":"Laying accessibility groundwork in ownCloud\u2019s new web interface"},"content":{"rendered":"

At the start of 2019, ownCloud team lead Michael Stingl approached me and asked whether I could support the accessibility aspect of ownClouds Project Phoenix. I was very pleased to say yes, especially once I learned that Phoenix was a) a web-app and b) written in Vue.js. The intersection of web accessibility and modern, framework-driven JavaScript is a fascinating topic for me, and additionally, Vue.js is my favourite framework.<\/p>\n

Michael then went into more detail: It would be perfect if I could help with improving the already existing\u00a0ownCloud Design System (ODS)<\/em>\u00a0pattern library<\/a>\u00a0in multiple ways:<\/p>\n

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  1. Help building accessible components\u00a0that can be used throughout the new interface, using the strength of a design system: Authors and developers would need to build and test an inclusive interface pattern once, and it could then be used all across the interface. In the bird\u2019s eye view, an application consisting of well-built single parts is on a good path to become a truly inclusive one.<\/li>\n
  2. Help with documentation: When certain components or controls a built in a certain way \u2013 what is the reasoning behind it? What user groups and which assistive technologies are affected? What circumstances and strategies could people have when they approach the interface? In the end, the documentation is intended to have two audiences: The core team members and associated freelancers, but also anyone else building extensions for the new front-end. For both groups, the design system should serve as a knowledge center: about the available components, for sure, but also about the design and markup decisions that went into them. Project Phoenix is being heavily worked on and will, especially when it comes to user experience and screen designs, go through further iterations. But the sometimes abstract, sometimes concrete documentation bits in ODS are meant to stand the test of time and to be educational resources for everyone working in the proximity of ownCloud\u2019s new interface.<\/li>\n
  3. Lastly to conduct occasional\u00a0video calls\u00a0or physical meetings where I can show to the team some strategies people with disabilities employ to use websites, and the tools developers have at their disposal to help them succeed. Over the last months, these occasional \u201caccessibility session\u201d also dealt with what needs to be done in the future, and I tried to make it clear,\u00a0why<\/em>\u00a0something needs to be done in accessibility terms.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    In October and November of 2019, I also had the opportunity to work in the \u2018machine room\u2019 of both Project Phoenix and the ownCloud Design System. While doing so, I tried to emphasize accessibility basics but also the special idiosyncrasies that exist in JavaScript-based web apps. In these weeks, I approached the following topics:<\/p>\n