Re: [orca-list] [Fwd: Default button of Orca]

[Michael Whapples <mwhapples aim com>]

Hello Alan,
I have already stated my opposition to this proposal already so will not 
go over those again. However I do have a few more comments based on what 
you have now said.

My main argument is that simply making the help button default will not 
really serve the purpose of what you want and it may be better met by an 
alternative solution. The main issue comes from this idea that we are 
making an assumption that someone may not have sufficient knowledge of 
keyboard navigation to move between buttons, yet would know sufficient 
to use yelp from the keyboard. I don't believe such a situation could 
really occur (IE. if the user doesn't know navigation of buttons then 
they won't know yelp navigation, if they know yelp navigation then they 
probably can navigate buttons).

One solution might be to have an interactive tutorial but that probably 
would require a bit of work.

Another, probably simpler solution, would be to add a text box to the 
main window containing some basic instructions on navigation and screen 
review with orca. As this text box would be in orca, there should be no 
issue with orca always setting the caret navigation of the text box to 
on (I know some have voiced concerns over orca fiddling in this way with 
yelp). If this text box was automatically given focus when the main 
window first appears, orca should read the content of the text box and 
the user can review it with cursor keys. Obviously the text box would be 
best to be not editable so the user doesn't go and mess up these basic 
instructions. Also with this solution, it could be so that if a user who 
knows orca were to just press enter without listening to what comes up 
(IE. they do it automatically as they "know" orca and want preferences) 
then nothing will happen (IE. the user gets no unwanted side affect of 
their action).

While what I have suggested with the text box might be an acceptable 
compromise to me, I have to say it still feels a bit like wrapping the 
user in cotton-wool and is a bit unnecessary.

Michael Whapples
On -10/01/37 20:59, Alan Bell wrote:
> On 20/04/11 23:13, Luke Yelavich wrote:
> > I support Alan's request to set the help button as the default 
> > button. We can give new users instructions on how to access 
> > preferences when orca starts, and all being well, the user should be 
> > able to navigate help with arrow keys, assuming the distro has set up 
> > caret navigation in yelp, and if not, then perhaps Orca should check 
> > this prior to launching yelp, and enable it.
> >
> > Luke
> Hi all,
>
> I really appreciate the discussion around this little suggestion! 
> Firstly, I totally agree with Joanmarie and others that making a 
> downstream change of the default button in one distro would be a bad 
> thing. This is just one really minor point in my overall objective of 
> making Orca so easy that even a sighted person could use it. Right now 
> on startup you are greeted with "Orca Screen Reader slash Magnifier 
> frame, preferences button" if the user presses space or return they 
> get to "Orca Preferences, General Page", which is a bad place to be if 
> you have no idea how to use Orca or how to navigate the user 
> interface. Pressing left and right moves between pages, pressing down 
> ends up in the desktop/laptop radio button, then up/down/left/right 
> just flip between desktop/laptop. The cancel button is 15 tab presses 
> away.
>
> Making the help button the default (and changing / to & which is a 
> separate issue) would mean the user is greeted with:
> "Orca Screen Reader & Magnifier frame, help button"
> from which point experienced users can press tab-space to get to the 
> preferences window, but the new user can press space, return or still 
> F1 to get to the help, which makes it more discoverable.
>
> The next issue is making the help start with something helpful. The 
> "Quick reference" section is at the right at the end, 22 tab presses 
> away, and not particularly helpful. All the information is in there, 
> but there are no up front instructions about useful keys to press to 
> get started. All it needs is a paragraph at the top of the first page 
> of help with something like:
>
> "The Orca screen reader provides an audio commentary of the desktop as 
> you use it. There are a number of commands you can use to control 
> Orca, many of these are accessed through the Orca modifier key which 
> is Keypad 0 on a desktop keyboard or capslock if you have a laptop 
> keyboard without a separate number pad. You can navigate through this 
> help by pressing tab to move between links and return to follow a link."
>
> And then at the top of the list of links I would put stuff like:
> The "Learn" Modes - link
> WhereAmI - link
> Navigating the desktop with the keyboard - link
>
> I am not entirely joking when I talk about "making Orca so easy that 
> even a sighted person could use it", I actually really want to enable 
> use-cases such as a sighted person working on a computer without a 
> monitor, perhaps a installing a headless server using nothing but a 
> USB keyboard and headphones. Having people use Orca out of choice, or 
> because they can't be bothered to plug in a monitor, might mean that 
> more applications get tested by more people for readability and more 
> developers spend more time thinking about arranging their applications 
> user interface in a reader friendly sequence.
>
> Alan.