• Creating Web Applications
• Tangible User Interfaces
• Consuming Web Applications
• Usable UI Patterns
• Web APIs And Specialized Browsing
• Conclusion

Goal: Ubiquitous access.

URI

Universal means for addressing content.

HTTP

Protocol for client/server communication.

HTML

A language for hypertext documents.

Web Browser —a lens for viewing the Web

HTML

Presentation-independent information.

Forms

Interactive Web hypertext.

CSS

Style content.

DOM

Programmable Web.

JavaScript

Custom behaviors.

Data

Resides in the Web cloud.

Application

Logic runs on the server.

Presentation

Delivered as HTML to the client.

UI

Augmented by DOM-based interaction.

Facilitates multiple UI to a single application.

Data

UI-independent, lives in the cloud.

UI

Delivered via the Web.

Clients

Manipulate underlying representation.

Sync

Multiple clients manipulate same data.

Server

Manage data, application logic.

Client

Presentation, interaction.

Bind

Connect the dots.

• Resides in the network cloud.
• Enables ubiquitous access.
• Is independent of any specific UI.
• Ranges from the simple to the complex:
  • Maps
  • Spreadsheets

Create

Add new data —PUT.

Read

Retrieve existing data —GET.

Update

Modify/edit data —POST.

Delete

Delete data —DELETE.

User operations mapped to HTTP verbs.

• Connect application model to desired UI.
• Instantiate by creating an HTML DOM.
• DOM holds presentation content.
• Encapsulate content, style and interaction.

Web Applications come alive!

HTML

Serialization of the HTML DOM.

DOM

Encapsulates content.

CSS

Style rules.

Handlers

JavaScript event handlers for behavior.

Result is a UI, not a document.

• Web UI rendered by the browser.
• Browsers require augmentation via AT.
• AT treats Web pages as documents.
• Web pages are now live user interfaces.

Transition causes impedance mismatch.

DOM

Live properties expose metadata.

Role

Identifies widget type.

State

Reflects current interaction state.

Live Regions

Observer-observable relations.

Web user interfaces gain parity with desktop GUI.

• ARIA makes UI controls visible to AT.
• Web applications are more than UI controls.
• Task completion is the final determiner.

ARIA is necessary but not sufficient!

• Automatically speak relevant updates.
• Augment icons with relevant metadata.
• Add navigation keys for random access.
• Allow user to query for information.
• Produce automatic feedback for user actions.

Not all accessibility gaps are due to bugs.

Emacspeak

Extensions and Web wizards.

JAWS

Application-specific scripts.

ORCA

Application-specific Python extensions.

Window Eyes

User set files.

Augmentation happens at multiple levels.

• Large number of small Web applications.
• Applications updated continuously.
• New features delivered incrementally.
• Enables ubiquitous access.

Web-2.0 benefits for all users?

• Extend platform AT via the Web.
• Deliver augmentation via the Web.
• Distribute augmentation at Web scale.
• Expose relevant APIs to Web developers.

Injection

AT-neutral application augmentation.

AT Scripts

AT-specific augmentation.

Metadata

Wire-formats like ARIA in HTML DOM.

Web

Distributing scripts via the Web.

Browsers

Implement W3C ARIA.

Screenreaders

Bundle application scripts.

Community

Open Source projects.

AxsJAX

Inject AT-neutral augmentation.

Task

Task-specific gadgets, e.g., weather.

Environment

Specialized access, e.g., mobile.

User

Special needs, e.g., AT.

Custom Web access liberates end-users!

• Web applications are here to stay.
• Desktop AT has found transition challenging.
• W3C ARIA goes a long way in helping.
• Web access creates new opportunities.

Profound impact on how we work and play!