Major Headings of Scsi's "Perfect 10" Web Site Standard - Best Practice #3: Every Web page incorporates meaningful, descriptive 'balloon help' text for every hyperlink (both text- and graphics-based).
NOTE: Relevant hyperlinks are included within the associated paragraphs to make your browsing session productive and all the more enjoyable.
What do you get when you expect the usual behavior regarding hyperlink information? Answer, Zilch (unfortunately)!
We're all accustomed to just seeing 'the usual finger pointing cursor' when the mouse cursor is placed over either graphics- or text-based hyperlinks. This 'accessibility factor' omission of meaningful descriptive information (also known as tool tips) forces the visitor to ponder over the obvious question, " What actually will occur if and when I do select that particular hyperlink?" Now, wouldn't you both prefer and expect to encounter -- instead of this dubious designer-based decision (read: an obvious accessibility oversight) -- a convenient, readable, and non-cryptic 'signpost' that would tell you EXACTLY what will occur and where you will be taken if and whenever you might be considering selection of any hyperlink on a given Web page?
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What does Scsi's Best Practice #3 provide regarding hyperlink information? Answer: What will making that selection do?
Always providing an answer without forcing you to think (read: guess) what might happen if any given hyperlink on the Scsi P&KT Web site is hovered over is precisely what Best Practice #3 is all about. So, Scsi always provides 'balloon help' tool tips for every text- and graphics-based hyperlink -- on each and every Web page of this Web site -- period.
NOTE: Even though every text-based hyperlink and every hyperlinked graphic will always have a descriptive, instructional 'tool tip' text implemented, Scsi must point out that not all browsers support this convention. However, if whatever browser tool you happen to be using does include this capability, you will definitely be able to observe the associated descriptive text as a balloon help statement.
And, isn't it frustrating -- when you are on other Web sites -- to not have any idea where you will be taken or what will happen when you are about to select a text- or graphics-based hyperlink because there is either no description or a less than meaningful one?
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What hyperlink- and navigation-related questions should all Web Site Developers answer?
Scsi feels that such oversights (read: stupid omissions or poorly implemented navigation support) are examples of disregard or negligence of a reasonable expectation -- to state where selection of that hyperlink will take you or to specify what action(s) will occur if you do make a particular hyperlink selection. After all, you are the visitor who has invested the time and effort to get to the site in the first place. You should always be able to remain in control and know where things will take you, right? It's your time and attention that must be kept in mind, and you can dump a site any time you choose if you are not getting what you want in the way of reasonable consideration and treatment by the Web site's designer.
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What's the Bottom Line? Answer: Always focus on meeting the needs of all Web site visitors
Here is another way of stating the above: Wouldn't it be nice if all Web sites would always include a useful text description whenever the mouse cursor is placed over any given hyperlink? Think for a moment about what that would mean. You would become informed as to exactly what is supposed to occur if and only after you make that selection. Now, that's thinking of the visitor in its most basic sense, don't you agree? So, why do so many Web sites not do it?
Whatever your answer, it doesn't have to be that way, and Scsi has come up with a 100% accessibility solution that remains focused on meeting the needs of all Web site visitors. After all, the very lifeblood for any Web site's continued existence and popularity is Y-O-U. This fundamental fact should never be overlooked at any stage of Web site design, implementation, and maintenance. Don't you agree?
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Besides Best Practice #3, which of Scsi's "Perfect 10" Best Practices would you like to read about next?
- Best Practice #1: Every Web page is fast loading.
- Best Practice #2: Every Web page is viewable with any type of browser.
- Best Practice #3: Every Web page incorporates meaningful, descriptive 'balloon help' text for every hyperlink (both text- and graphics-based).
- Best Practice #4: Every Web page's navigation always remains under user control, thereby allowing use of any combination of keyboard, mouse, or other pointing devices as hyperlink selection tools.
- Best Practice #5: Every Web page incorporates an integral and effective dual-domain search window.
- Best Practice #6: Every Web page's text viewing size selections remain under user control at all times -- according to the particular browser tool's available selections.
- Best Practice #7: Every Web page's contents will always automatically resize widthwise to fill the entire browser window -- no matter what screen resolution settings or window sizes are in effect at any time.
- Best Practice #8: Every 'Print this page' operation automatically results in an intelligently word wrapped, truncation-free, black-on-white printout of that Web page's main body contents -- regardless of the page orientation and user-specified text size selection in effect at that time.
- Best Practice #9: Every Web page incorporates readily accessible contact information.
- Best Practice #10: Every Web page validates against the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) specifications for Hypertext Markup Language (HTML), Cascading Style Sheets (CSS), and Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) Content Guidelines (WCAG).
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Web Page Validation and Contact Information
This Scsi's "Perfect 10" Web Site Standard - Best Practice #3: Every Web page incorporates meaningful, descriptive 'balloon help' text for every hyperlink ... Page was last updated, validated -- to assure full conformance to W3C's XHTML 1.0 Strict, screen medium cascading style sheet (CSS), and WCAG Accessibility (Priorities 1, 2, and 3, inclusive) recommendations -- and uploaded on Friday, July 29, 2011 at 3:45 p.m. ET by Raymond Sonoff, President of Sonoff Consulting Services, Inc., 271 Saxony Drive, Crestview Hills, KY 41017-2294 USA: Telephone: (859) 261-5908.
Remember: If you have some questions to ask, wish to request additional information about specific topics, or want to send a request for proposal, Scsi always welcomes inquiries and will respond promptly (often the very same day) once you select either of these hyperlinks -- e-mail or  -- then compose and send your message to us.
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