Assessment Report
| eResource Title | Vendor | Overall Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Visible Body Web Suite | Visible Body | D |
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? | Never | ||
| Do functional images contain appropriate alt text or an appropriate textual alternative? | Never | ||
| Do images used as text contain appropriate alt text or an appropriate textual alternative? | Not Applicable | ||
Content Scaling
| Question | Answer | Notes | Images |
|---|---|---|---|
| When zoomed in at 200%, is text intact, readable, and not cut off? | Sometimes | The text is pixelated but still readable. Can't see or access some content (in the Quizzes, Tours, Favorites, and Notecards sections). | |
| Are images clear and unpixelated at 200%? | Sometimes | Some images become pixelated at 200%. | |
| Is horizontal scrolling minimized at 200%? | Always | ||
Colour and Contrast
| Question | Answer | Notes | Images |
|---|---|---|---|
| Do text and images have a contrast ratio of at least 4.5:1? | Always | ||
Colour
| Question | Answer | Notes | Images |
|---|---|---|---|
| Do colour coded graphs have text equivalents? | Not Applicable | ||
| 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 |
Text to speech
| Question | Answer | Notes | Images |
|---|---|---|---|
| Is there a choice embedded within the database that offers text to speech or read aloud options? | Never |
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? | Never |
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? | Sometimes | Buttons crowd together and button text overlaps with the button image when on an iPhone. | |
| Is the overall reading experience preserved at all screen resolutions? | Sometimes | Can't access part of the main menu when on an iPhone (the "Views / Quizzes / Tours / Favorites / Notecards" section of the menu). | |
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? | Never | Instructions are strictly in the placeholder text, with the exception of the "Forgot password?" screen (however, that page does not have clear/direct instructions). | |
| Do user input fields contain labels in addition to overall instructions mentioned above? | Never | ||
| Are descriptions for fields and boxes easy to understand? | Not Applicable | ||
| Are labels placed above the user input fields and clearly associated with each field? | Never | ||
| 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? | Never | ||
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? | Never | ||
| Are actions consistently labelled across the site? For example, the “search” button is always labeled “search”. | Always | ||
| Are icons that have adjacent links consistent? | Not Applicable | ||
| 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? | Never | Links such as "Tutorials and online help" and "Contact us" automatically open in a new tab. | |
| 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? | Never | ||
| Does the database avoid launching pages in a new browser window with the usual browser controls missing? | Never | When you launch the resource itself, it automatically opens in a new browser window without the usual browser controls. |
Headers
| Question | Answer | Notes | Images |
|---|---|---|---|
| Is page content subdivided hierarchically into appropriate headings and tagged appropriately? | Never | ||
| Are headings concise and clear, and accurately reflect the content under that heading? | Never | ||
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? | Never |
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 | Note: this database is not keyboard-operable. | |
| Is there an "update now" button that requests a refresh of content rather than automatically updating the content? | Not Applicable | ||
| 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? | Not Applicable | Unable to tab through this database (not keyboard-operable). |
Navigation Links
| Question | Answer | Notes | Images |
|---|---|---|---|
| Can the purpose of each link 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? | Never | This database is not keyboard-operable. | |
| If moving keyboard focus away from a component requires more than arrow or tab keys, is this clearly indicated on the page? | Never | ||
| Is default keyboard navigation order logical and intuitive, following the visual flow of the page as described above? | Never | ||
| When using a keyboard to navigate the interface, is the keyboard focus indicator visible? | Never | ||
| Does all interactive functionality work via keyboard, and does it behave consistently and as expected? | Never | ||
| Does focus order move sequentially across form fields? | Never | ||
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? | Not Applicable | ||
Frames
| Question | Answer | Notes | Images |
|---|---|---|---|
| Does the screen reader successfully navigate from one frame to another? | Not Applicable | This database does not use frames. | |
| 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 |
PDFs
Searchable PDFs
| Question | Answer | Notes | Images |
|---|---|---|---|
| Are the sampled PDFs image-only? | Never | ||
| Are the sampled PDFs locked (secured)? | Never | ||
| Are the sampled PDFs fully searchable? | Always |
Tagged PDFs
| Question | Answer | Notes | Images |
|---|---|---|---|
| Are alternative descriptions provided? | Never | ||
| Is primary language specified? | Always | ||
| Is reliable character encoding provided? | Always | ||
| Are all page elements tagged? | Never | ||
| Are list and table structure correct? | Never |
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? | Always | ||
| Does the Read out Loud function avoid problematic elements such as excessive blank spaces read as “blank”? | Never | Documents are not tagged. Underscores next to Name and Date on each page are all read out loud. | |
| Are the controls consistent and effective for navigating through the document? | Sometimes | Keyboard shortcuts are effective, up and down keys arrow keys are not. |
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? | Never | ||
| Do bookmarks link to the correct sections in the document? | Not Applicable |
Video Captions
| Question | Answer | Notes | Images |
|---|---|---|---|
| Are videos captioned? | Not Applicable | Videos in this database do not have audio. | |
| 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? | Never |
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? | Never | ||
| 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 | ||