Assessment Information
eResource Title |
Vendor |
Overall Grade |
Business Source Premier |
EBSCO |
B+ |
Assessment for Business Source Premier by Mohawk - Module 1: Interface Appearance | Status: Complete | Grade: A-
Images
Positioning of Images
Question |
Answer |
Notes |
Images |
Are the images positioned prominently and easy to find? |
Always |
|
|
Functional images embedded in the background
Question |
Answer |
Notes |
Images |
Are there functional images embedded in the background? |
Never |
|
|
Presence of Icons
Question |
Answer |
Notes |
Images |
Are there icons where appropriate, such as icons to indicate PDF Full Text, Download, Folder, Citation, etc? |
Always |
|
|
Alt Text
Question |
Answer |
Notes |
Images |
Do informative images contain appropriate alt text or an appropriate textual alternative? |
Always |
|
|
Do functional images contain appropriate alt text or an appropriate textual alternative? |
Always |
|
|
Do images used as text contain appropriate alt text or an appropriate textual alternative? |
Always |
|
|
Content Scaling
Question |
Answer |
Notes |
Images |
When zoomed in at 200%, is text intact, readable, and not cut off? |
Always |
|
|
Are images clear and unpixelated at 200%? |
Sometimes |
Images look a little pixelated but they don't look perfectly crisp at 100% either. By 'perfectly' crisp I mean something like a vector image or the smoothness of an iPad with retina display. The icon for the print tool doesn't quite read as a printer. I can tell it's supposed to be a printer but it also looks like a white car with the trunk open or a futuristic tissue box. |
|
Is horizontal scrolling minimized at 200%? |
Sometimes |
The link for 'Mohawk Library' in the upper right corner on the search and results pages is causing horizontal scrolling as it cuts off at 'Mohawk Lib' before you need to scroll to see 'rary'. When looking at a detailed record page, the right-hand side tool bar is also cut off a bit and requires horizontal scrolling. |
|
Colour and Contrast
Question |
Answer |
Notes |
Images |
Do text and images have a contrast ratio of at least 4.5:1? |
Sometimes |
The main page is 8.59:1 but the links found at the bottom of the pages ('EBSCO Connect', 'Privacy policy', etc) and the text for the right-hand side tool bar come up as 2.12:1. The font size on these is smaller than 12. |
|
Colour
Question |
Answer |
Notes |
Images |
Do colour coded graphs have text equivalents? |
Not Applicable |
There may be some colour coded graphs among the many articles in Business Source Premier but so far the ones I've come across are done up with one colour and those do not appear to have text equivalents. |
|
Are blocks of content separated from one another using visual separation (such as whitespace or borders)? |
Always |
|
|
Are text alternatives provided where colour is used to indicate an action? |
Not Applicable |
Colour does not seem to be used to indicate actions on this database. |
|
Text to speech
Question |
Answer |
Notes |
Images |
Is there a choice embedded within the database that offers text to speech or read aloud options? |
Always |
|
|
Clustered Links
Question |
Answer |
Notes |
Images |
Using your mouse, is the clickable area around links and buttons large enough for users to see and activate easily? |
Always |
|
|
Using your mouse to test links, are links and buttons far enough apart for users to accurately activate? |
Always |
|
|
Using any method to test links, are all links and buttons functional (i.e., not dead)? |
Always |
|
|
Are links or buttons accessible via keyboard navigation? |
Always |
|
|
Dynamic content
Question |
Answer |
Notes |
Images |
Can users pause carousel movement? |
Not Applicable |
|
|
Is all functionality, including navigating between carousel items, operable by keyboard? |
Not Applicable |
|
|
Liquid layout
Question |
Answer |
Notes |
Images |
Is the order of the text preserved at all screen resolutions, without overlap? |
Always |
|
|
Do images avoid overlapping at all screen resolutions? |
Always |
|
|
Is the overall reading experience preserved at all screen resolutions? |
Always |
|
|
Assessment for Business Source Premier by Mohawk - Module 2: Interface Navigation | Status: Complete | Grade: A
Labels and Instructions for Interactive Elements
Question |
Answer |
Notes |
Images |
Are user input fields accompanied by clear instructions on what the user needs to do to successfully complete the form? |
Always |
|
|
Do user input fields contain labels in addition to overall instructions mentioned above? |
Always |
|
|
Are descriptions for fields and boxes easy to understand? |
Always |
|
|
Are labels placed above the user input fields and clearly associated with each field? |
Always |
|
|
Are text cues for coloured form control labels available? |
Not Applicable |
|
|
Are other visual indicators provided consistently, such as an asterisk for required form fields? |
Not Applicable |
|
|
Error Prevention
Question |
Answer |
Notes |
Images |
Are user input fields either reversible, checked, or confirmed? One of the three is acceptable. |
Always |
|
|
Error Reports
Question |
Answer |
Notes |
Images |
Are alert messages clearly visible to the user, either at the top of the form field, inline, or through a dialog box? |
Always |
|
|
Do alert messages clearly indicate the field in which the error has occurred and a description of the error and the fix? |
Always |
|
|
Is the user able to easily access the user input field to correct the error? |
Always |
|
|
Is the user able to resubmit the form and re-validate their submission? |
Always |
|
|
Do error reports follow a logical reading and navigation order? |
Always |
|
|
Search function spell-check
Question |
Answer |
Notes |
Images |
When a user spells a word incorrectly, does the search function offer spelling suggestions or synonyms? |
Never |
|
|
Functionality of Interactive Elements
Question |
Answer |
Notes |
Images |
Are icons such as to save, download, or print consistent across the site? |
Always |
|
|
Is alternative text clear and consistent for each icon type? |
Always |
|
|
Are actions consistently labelled across the site? For example, the “search” button is always labeled “search”. |
Always |
|
|
Are icons that have adjacent links consistent? |
Always |
|
|
Can the purpose of each link be determined from the link text alone? |
Always |
|
|
Consistent Navigation
Question |
Answer |
Notes |
Images |
Does the eresource have a consistent layout and navigation across all pages? |
Always |
|
|
Are search fields located in the same places throughout the website? |
Always |
|
|
Do other features occur in the same place throughout the website? |
Always |
|
|
Are links, buttons, images, and other components that are used repeatedly throughout a website labeled consistently? |
Always |
|
|
Pop-up windows/Interruptions
Question |
Answer |
Notes |
Images |
Does the electronic resource avoid the use of pop-up windows which open automatically in a new tab if a user clicks on a button? |
Sometimes |
Preferences opens as a closable window within the tabbed page, 'on top' of the page content. Help always opens as a new window. |
|
Does the database avoid launching pop-up windows automatically when the database is loaded? |
Always |
|
|
Where pop-ups occur, are users able to postpone or suppress any pop-ups? |
Not Applicable |
|
|
Does the database avoid launching pages in a new browser window with the usual browser controls missing? |
Always |
|
|
Headers
Question |
Answer |
Notes |
Images |
Is page content subdivided hierarchically into appropriate headings and tagged appropriately? |
Always |
|
|
Are headings concise and clear, and accurately reflect the content under that heading? |
Always |
|
|
Menus
Question |
Answer |
Notes |
Images |
Do database page menus have a reasonable number of navigation items and drop-down options? |
Always |
|
|
Does the main navigation and drop-downs contain a reasonable number of menu items? |
Always |
|
|
Can all menus and submenus be accessed with screen readers and via keyboard navigation? |
Always |
|
|
Change of context
Question |
Answer |
Notes |
Images |
Does the “results” page or item record view avoid opening in a new tab without a warning? |
Always |
|
|
Is there an "update now" button that requests a refresh of content rather than automatically updating the content? |
Never |
|
|
Does the database avoid automatic redirection? |
Always |
|
|
Change of Context: Focus
Question |
Answer |
Notes |
Images |
Does the form refrain from submitting automatically when a component receives focus? |
Always |
|
|
Does the database avoid launching new windows when a component receives focus? |
Always |
|
|
Does the database avoid change of focus when a component receives focus? |
Always |
|
|
Are you able to tab through a page using keyboard navigation without the keyboard focus moving away from the control? |
Always |
|
|
Assessment for Business Source Premier by Mohawk - Module 3: Interface Structure | Status: Complete | Grade: A-
Navigation Links
Question |
Answer |
Notes |
Images |
Can the purpose of each link can be determined from the link text, or from the link text together with its surrounding context? |
Always |
|
|
Keyboard Navigation
Question |
Answer |
Notes |
Images |
Can keyboard focus be moved to all page elements? |
Always |
|
|
If moving keyboard focus away from a component requires more than arrow or tab keys, is this clearly indicated on the page? |
Not Applicable |
|
|
Is default keyboard navigation order logical and intuitive, following the visual flow of the page as described above? |
Always |
On the results page, focus goes from the search functions at the top to the search results which are in the middle of the page. While it should go to the limiters which are on the left according to left-to-right, it's logical for it to go to the results instead. |
|
When using a keyboard to navigate the interface, is the keyboard focus indicator visible? |
Always |
|
|
Does all interactive functionality work via keyboard, and does it behave consistently and as expected? |
Always |
|
|
Does focus order move sequentially across form fields? |
Always |
|
|
Skip Links
Question |
Answer |
Notes |
Images |
Are there skip links (either visible or invisible)? |
Never |
|
|
Are skip links visible or invisible? |
Not Applicable |
|
|
Are skip links (visible or invisible) positioned prominently near the beginning of the page? |
Not Applicable |
|
|
Are skip links labelled properly? |
Not Applicable |
|
|
Are skip links accessible via keyboard? |
Not Applicable |
|
|
Do anchors (link destinations) appear at the beginning of the relevant content? |
Not Applicable |
|
|
Do skip navigation controls appear in the same place on every page? |
Not Applicable |
|
|
Tables
Question |
Answer |
Notes |
Images |
Does the reader capture accurate information as it appears in the table and the columns and rows? |
Sometimes |
It works in the html full-text but does not work on PDFs for company profiles/SWOT analysis/etc. or any images |
|
Frames
Question |
Answer |
Notes |
Images |
Does the screen reader successfully navigate from one frame to another? |
Not Applicable |
Everything I tested said 'no next frame' |
|
Does each frame have a meaningful title that tells the user the purpose of the frame? |
Not Applicable |
|
|
When navigating the page using keyboard navigation, is the user able to navigate effectively from one frame to the next? |
Not Applicable |
|
|
Assessment for Business Source Premier by Mohawk - Module 4: Content | Status: Complete | Grade: F
PDFs
Searchable PDFs
Question |
Answer |
Notes |
Images |
Are the sampled PDFs image-only? |
Sometimes |
Company Profiles, Country Reports, Industry Profiles, Market Research Reports, and SWOT Analyses are all extractable and searchable.
Articles are hit and miss. A couple from the mid 1990s were not extractable or searchable but one from 1967 was. All the ones I looked at from 2010 onward were extractable and searchable. |
|
Are the sampled PDFs locked (secured)? |
Sometimes |
A better answer would be 'almost never' as the vast majority were extractable |
|
Are the sampled PDFs fully searchable? |
Sometimes |
Out of about 20 PDFs viewed, only 3 were not searchable and in those cases I was purposely searching for older items as newer (21st century) ones were all searchable. For example, one from 1929 was not searchable but one from 1943 was. |
|
Tagged PDFs
Question |
Answer |
Notes |
Images |
Are alternative descriptions provided? |
Never |
16 PDFs tested, all failed every aspect of Alternate Text |
|
Is primary language specified? |
Never |
16 PDFs tested, all said 'Primary language - Failed' |
|
Is reliable character encoding provided? |
Sometimes |
Most passed, only 3 out of 16 failed. |
|
Are all page elements tagged? |
Sometimes |
A few PDFs pass the 'Tagged annotations' and 'Tagged multimedia' but mostly everything else failed. |
|
Are list and table structure correct? |
Never |
All 16 tested failed |
|
Structure: Reading Order
Question |
Answer |
Notes |
Images |
Does the Read Out Loud function read the PDF in a logical way, preserving the order of the text and various sections? |
Sometimes |
There was one article that is badly formatted and difficult to read (random paragraphs here and there as it's originally a magazine spread. Ads are included in this PDF) that doesn't work properly with Read Out Loud. Entire sections were skipped.
Every other PDF I tested worked fine. |
|
Does the Read out Loud function avoid problematic elements such as excessive blank spaces read as “blank”? |
Always |
|
|
Are the controls consistent and effective for navigating through the document? |
Always |
|
|
Magnification
Question |
Answer |
Notes |
Images |
When zooming in to 250%, does all text, images, tables, and other elements appear clear and easy to read? |
Always |
|
|
Images
Positioning of Images
Question |
Answer |
Notes |
Images |
Are the images positioned prominently and easy to find? |
Always |
|
|
Alternative Description
Question |
Answer |
Notes |
Images |
Do informative images contain appropriate alt text or an appropriate textual alternative? |
Never |
|
|
Do images used as titles contain appropriate alt text or an appropriate textual alternative? |
Never |
|
|
Do rich images contain appropriate alt text or an appropriate textual alternative? |
Never |
|
|
Tables
Question |
Answer |
Notes |
Images |
Are tables tagged and described with in-text summaries where appropriate? |
Never |
|
|
Do table headers allow for easy navigation with screen readers? |
Never |
|
|
Additional Navigational Aids
Question |
Answer |
Notes |
Images |
Does the bookmarks panel display bookmarks? |
Sometimes |
1 out of 16 checked had bookmarks |
|
Do bookmarks link to the correct sections in the document? |
Always |
The one that had bookmarks worked properly |
|
Video Captions
Question |
Answer |
Notes |
Images |
Are videos captioned? |
Not Applicable |
|
|
If captions are closed, and need to be turned on by the user, is that process straightforward and intuitive? |
Not Applicable |
|
|
Are captions typo-free and grammatically correct (unless slang and grammatical errors are intentionally used in the video)? |
Not Applicable |
|
|
Does caption placement avoid blocking any important visual components necessary to understand the video? |
Not Applicable |
|
|
Are the captions in sync with spoken words? |
Not Applicable |
|
|
For videos that contain captions, are transcripts provided? |
Not Applicable |
|
|
For videos that do not contain captions, are transcripts provided? |
Not Applicable |
|
|
Described Video
Question |
Answer |
Notes |
Images |
Do videos include described video, or if not, is there a text equivalent of the video provided on the same page or via a link? |
Not Applicable |
|
|
If the video includes described video or a text equivalent of the video, is it an accurate description of the video contents? |
Not Applicable |
|
|
Audio Accessibility
Question |
Answer |
Notes |
Images |
Is a link to a text transcript provided in reasonable proximity to the audio clip? |
Not Applicable |
|
|
If a transcript is provided, does it accurately capture the content of the audio? |
Not Applicable |
|
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