That does not make them 508 compliant. Run it through ANDI. If there are no alt tags, and the screen reader cannot identify the elements, it is not 508 compliant. I am having this issue and trying to figure out how to add alt tags to the GUI post production. @Tom, if you have any information on this, I would greatly appreciate it!
Can you share what you're doing with the slider? Also what version of Storyline are you using?
You can add alt text to objects on the screen. However, I suppose it also depends on what the slider is doing to the objects. If you can share a slide that we can look at, that would help.
Yes, adding alt-text is not an issue on screen. The issue is the wrapper... Ie... you add a logo and can't add the alt text for that logo. When you tab through the elements, many of the wrapper/gui elements do not have tags built in. I would recommend hiding elements you don't want the user to tab to in the wrapper/gui. I would also like to be able to add an alt-tag to our Logo.
I appreciate the feedback! Both of your requests have already been shared with our Engineering team, so it sounds like we're on the same wavelength!
We don't have a timeline to share when alt text will be available for Player elements and logos, but we'll keep you updated in this discussion! You can stay up to date with what we are currently working on by looking at our feature roadmap.
Thank you, Lauren! I am excited that you forwarded this to the product engineers. I do have a question, will there be updates to Storyline 3? I noticed the product roadmap only includes 360.
I also wanted to share about removing Player features in Player Properties and Slide Properties. You can uncheck the boxes beside each Player tab if you don't want it to appear on the Player for the entire course or a specific slide!
Lastly, the Player tabs should be read off by a screen reader when moving through the slide content. I've tested this using JAWS and NVDA, and I am hearing the Player tabs read off. Let me know if this isn't working the same on your end.
We are continuing to update Storyline 3, but we aren't sharing that roadmap publicly. Another thought came to mind about the Player tabs; if you head over to Text Labels in the Player Properties, you can change the Player Tabs' name. For example, the Menu Tab, Resources Tab, etc.
We just released a Storyline 3 update today. You can see what's included in the update here.
Thank you for your prompt response. I am struggling with moving the slider using the tab key. I can only move it using the left and right arrows on the key board.
And just out of interest. I know that drag and drop & hotspots are not complaint which other quiz types should be avoided when designing in 508 in mind?
The slider works fine with the left, right, up, and down arrows. However, when I move to the next stop, I can't get the screen reader to read the content on that specific layer. Any suggestions?
I'd like to understand better how your project is set up, so I can help you troubleshoot or offer specific suggestions. Are you comfortable sharing a sample .story file here or through a private link?
Here is how my Slider is set up: I have a Slider with stops 0 to 7. When the Slider's value changes, it shows a new layer of content. For example, when the Slider's value equals 2, it shows layer 2.
While the slider itself is accessible using the keyboard, it does not make the Storyline accessible. I can navigate with the arrow keys, but the screen reader does not read the content on each "stop" layer. How do I activate my screen reader to read the content on each "stop"?
Since the slider is on the base layer, and by using the keyboard to navigate, you are focusing on that base layer, the screen reader is not verbalizing the content on each of the other layers.
A workaround would be to adjust the layer properties of each of your seven layers by checking the following options:
Hide other slide layers
Hide objects on base layers
Prevent the user from clicking on the base layer
Then you can add a button to hide the layer and allow the user to continue to move the slider.
While this works, I would suggest using a different type of interaction that will better suit an accessible course and be screen-reader friendly if your design allows it.
Thank you for the suggestions and workarounds. It is a shame that you state that the Slider is an alternative to drag-and-drop interactions for people with mobility and visual impairments...
We agree. Many users use layers to display the information that pairs with their slider, so we've submitted this as a bug to our team.
I wanted to share some information on how we define bugs and how we tackle them when they occur. This conversation is attached so that we can share any updates with you here.
Another option is to have the content on the base layer of the slide, with your slider, and use states to control the display. For example, y shape starts in a disabled state and when slider = x, change the state of y shape to normal. Take a look at slide 2 in this attached example if you're interested in learning more.
Thank you very much for your reply and sharing information about how you define bugs. Thank you, also, for submitting this issue as a bug! Our company is an avid user of Storyline and other Articulate products, and with growing demands from our clients to make our courses and learning objects accessible (WCAG, 508, etc.), we appreciate all your effort and updates in recent years.
I have tested your slider example (slide 2) with a screen reader, and I am still unable to activate the reading of the text... I will test it again with my team. Thanks again!
It's not perfect. The user will need to use the 'back to top' button to focus on the slide content. Then they can arrow through the slide content and have it read by a screen reader as expected. They will then tab back to the slider for further steps/information.
24 Replies
Yes, you can tab to them and then use the arrow keys to navigate them.
That does not make them 508 compliant. Run it through ANDI. If there are no alt tags, and the screen reader cannot identify the elements, it is not 508 compliant. I am having this issue and trying to figure out how to add alt tags to the GUI post production. @Tom, if you have any information on this, I would greatly appreciate it!
Can you share what you're doing with the slider? Also what version of Storyline are you using?
You can add alt text to objects on the screen. However, I suppose it also depends on what the slider is doing to the objects. If you can share a slide that we can look at, that would help.
Yes, adding alt-text is not an issue on screen. The issue is the wrapper... Ie... you add a logo and can't add the alt text for that logo. When you tab through the elements, many of the wrapper/gui elements do not have tags built in. I would recommend hiding elements you don't want the user to tab to in the wrapper/gui. I would also like to be able to add an alt-tag to our Logo.
Susan
Hi Susan!
I appreciate the feedback! Both of your requests have already been shared with our Engineering team, so it sounds like we're on the same wavelength!
We don't have a timeline to share when alt text will be available for Player elements and logos, but we'll keep you updated in this discussion! You can stay up to date with what we are currently working on by looking at our feature roadmap.
This is great. I am so glad this has sparked so much discussion and movement on the part of Articulate. Thank you to everyone.
Thank you, Lauren! I am excited that you forwarded this to the product engineers. I do have a question, will there be updates to Storyline 3? I noticed the product roadmap only includes 360.
Best regards,
Susan
I also wanted to share about removing Player features in Player Properties and Slide Properties. You can uncheck the boxes beside each Player tab if you don't want it to appear on the Player for the entire course or a specific slide!
Lastly, the Player tabs should be read off by a screen reader when moving through the slide content. I've tested this using JAWS and NVDA, and I am hearing the Player tabs read off. Let me know if this isn't working the same on your end.
We are continuing to update Storyline 3, but we aren't sharing that roadmap publicly. Another thought came to mind about the Player tabs; if you head over to Text Labels in the Player Properties, you can change the Player Tabs' name. For example, the Menu Tab, Resources Tab, etc.
We just released a Storyline 3 update today. You can see what's included in the update here.
So in the end are we saying that Dials and Sliders are 508 Compliant?
Hi Martha, and welcome to E-Learning Heroes. 😊
Yes, you can use dials and sliders to create accessible content.
Are you running into an issue that we can help you with?
Hi Leslie
Thank you for your prompt response. I am struggling with moving the slider using the tab key. I can only move it using the left and right arrows on the key board.
And just out of interest. I know that drag and drop & hotspots are not complaint which other quiz types should be avoided when designing in 508 in mind?
Hello Martha!
To move the slide, you'll want to tab to the thumb and move the slide using the right and left arrow keys.
That is correct. You'll need to avoid drag and drop and hotspot question types to build an accessible course.
The slider works fine with the left, right, up, and down arrows. However, when I move to the next stop, I can't get the screen reader to read the content on that specific layer. Any suggestions?
Hello, Ghislaine.
I'd like to understand better how your project is set up, so I can help you troubleshoot or offer specific suggestions. Are you comfortable sharing a sample .story file here or through a private link?
Hi Maria,
Here is how my Slider is set up: I have a Slider with stops 0 to 7. When the Slider's value changes, it shows a new layer of content. For example, when the Slider's value equals 2, it shows layer 2.
While the slider itself is accessible using the keyboard, it does not make the Storyline accessible. I can navigate with the arrow keys, but the screen reader does not read the content on each "stop" layer. How do I activate my screen reader to read the content on each "stop"?
Hi, Ghislaine.
Thank you for clarifying!
Since the slider is on the base layer, and by using the keyboard to navigate, you are focusing on that base layer, the screen reader is not verbalizing the content on each of the other layers.
A workaround would be to adjust the layer properties of each of your seven layers by checking the following options:
Then you can add a button to hide the layer and allow the user to continue to move the slider.
While this works, I would suggest using a different type of interaction that will better suit an accessible course and be screen-reader friendly if your design allows it.
Hi Maria,
Thank you for the suggestions and workarounds. It is a shame that you state that the Slider is an alternative to drag-and-drop interactions for people with mobility and visual impairments...
I appreciate your feedback, Ghislaine, and we're going to look into this a bit more with our teams.
Hi again, Ghislaine.
We agree. Many users use layers to display the information that pairs with their slider, so we've submitted this as a bug to our team.
I wanted to share some information on how we define bugs and how we tackle them when they occur. This conversation is attached so that we can share any updates with you here.
Another option is to have the content on the base layer of the slide, with your slider, and use states to control the display. For example, y shape starts in a disabled state and when slider = x, change the state of y shape to normal. Take a look at slide 2 in this attached example if you're interested in learning more.
Hi Leslie,
Thank you very much for your reply and sharing information about how you define bugs. Thank you, also, for submitting this issue as a bug! Our company is an avid user of Storyline and other Articulate products, and with growing demands from our clients to make our courses and learning objects accessible (WCAG, 508, etc.), we appreciate all your effort and updates in recent years.
I have tested your slider example (slide 2) with a screen reader, and I am still unable to activate the reading of the text... I will test it again with my team. Thanks again!
No problem, Ghislaine.
It's not perfect. The user will need to use the 'back to top' button to focus on the slide content. Then they can arrow through the slide content and have it read by a screen reader as expected. They will then tab back to the slider for further steps/information.
Ahhhh, I see what you mean. It works with the 'back to top' button, so it's a start, but like you said, not perfect :-)