[Blindmath] Some suggestions for Richard Baldwin's SVG drawingtool

Tue Oct 4 19:33:10 UTC 2011

I'd be glad to assist you with providing context sensitive help after I get 
a good working version of my current project. Remember, I did a bit of 
research and experimentation with Java and accessibility a while back.

If there's anything I can do to prevent it, blind people won't be paying for 
the program.

Amanda
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Richard Baldwin" <baldwin at dickbaldwin.com>
To: "Blind Math list for those interested in mathematics" 
<blindmath at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Tuesday, October 04, 2011 12:40 PM
Subject: Re: [Blindmath] Some suggestions for Richard Baldwin's SVG 
drawingtool

> Thanks for the feedback. I will insert my responses in your test below.
>
> On Tue, Oct 4, 2011 at 11:04 AM, Michael Whapples <mwhapples at aim.com> 
> wrote:
>
>> Hello,
>> I have just tried using Richard Baldwin's SVG drawing tool. This is quite
>> useful. I have a few comments/suggestions to make.
>>
>> The first is whether it would be possible to also have an option for 
>> metric
>> units? I was having to create a diagram from some measurements I had in
>> metric and it would have been so much easier if I could have just entered
>> values in metric.
>>
>
> rgb] This is definitely possible, so I will put it on my todo list.
>
>>
>> Also, it seems simple enough to use, however particularly on the save, 
>> the
>> action based approach was slightly unusual and caught me out. I am very 
>> much
>> used to most software having save only prompt for file name when you 
>> first
>> save and should you want to save under a different file name then you use
>> "save as". I guess this is really a familiarity issue, once I remembered
>> this tool needed me to confirm the save it worked fine.
>>
>
> rgb] Good point. I will put this on the list also and consider a more
> standard approach.
>
>>
>> May be also related to the action based approach, sometimes things seemed
>> to require more action from me than felt needed. I guess one point might 
>> be
>> when I select set attributes, why cannot the list of elements be created
>> then, why do I need to press another button?
>>
>
> rgb] This is also a good point and I will put it on my todo list to
> consider. The same thing occurs on most of the actions on the Mod menu and
> the Advanced menu. Do you have any other suggestions as to where the 
> number
> of steps required is excessive for a blind user?
>
>>
>> I quite like the way of marking elements when editing them, however how
>> might one deselect something if they made a mistake and how can one tell 
>> if
>> an item is selected or not? May be the answer is in the instructions but 
>> you
>> know what it can be like when you have to read documentation... I 
>> possibly
>> say really well designed software shouldn't need people to read
>> documentation as it should be obvious what to do (either because the
>> software is so clear or it just follows a convention on how to get the
>> specific help you need).
>>
>
> rgb] Maybe someday I will have context-sensitive help, but that day will
> probably be a long way off, or else I will have to hire programming
> assistance and charge dollars for the program instead of giving it away 
> for
> free. If you have other suggestions for a better design, I would like to
> hear them.
>
> rgb] Your first question in the above paragraph regarding
> selecting/deselecting is a good one. I will put it on my list to consider.
> As it stands now, when you mark an object, you get a message box asking 
> you
> to confirm the selection, so you have an opportunity to cancel the 
> selection
> at that point. The corrective procedure if you select the wrong object and
> confirm that selection is to simply tab past the action button at the 
> bottom
> and start that action over again.
>
>>
>> I have to say I did feel a little uncertain on editing some of the 
>> diagram,
>> may be its to do with the options available for editing and may be some 
>> of
>> its to do with not quite knowing what is there (IE. no way to view the
>> current diagram). I guess that latter point, users of the voice would say
>> that is what the voice is for.
>>
>
> rgb] Right now, the best way to view the current drawing is to save it and
> open the SVG file in Firefox, Chrome, or IE9 (IE8 and lower won't work). 
> It
> is reasonably easy to act, save, refresh Firefox, and view.
>
> rgb] I will soon publish a version that has a real-time visual output for
> sighted users, vOICe uses, and users with some but low vision. If you have
> suggestions as to how to make it possible for blind users to view the
> drawing other than to use the Review action in the Mod menu, to use
> something like vOICe, or to emboss the current drawing, I would like to 
> hear
> about them.
>
> Again,
> Thanks for the feedback. I will put your suggestions on my todo list for
> incorporation into future versions.
>
>>
>> Michael Whapples
>>
>>
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>
>
>
> -- 
> Richard G. Baldwin (Dick Baldwin)
> Home of Baldwin's on-line Java Tutorials
> http://www.DickBaldwin.com
>
> Professor of Computer Information Technology
> Austin Community College
> (512) 223-4758
> mailto:Baldwin at DickBaldwin.com
> http://www.austincc.edu/baldwin/
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