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Visual cues for audio alerts

Software checkpoint 3.1

Provide an option to display a visual cue for all audio alerts.

Rationale

Techniques

Testing



Rationale

Users may not be able to hear or distinguish sounds if they are deaf or hard-of-hearing, work in noisy environments, or turn off sounds to avoid disturbing others. In order for these users to respond to audio alerts, those alerts must be presented visually as well. Typical alerts might be the receipt of new mail, beeps to indicate system errors, or sounds to indicate a change in status.

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Development techniques

Use one or more of the following techniques to meet Checkpoint 3.1 from the IBM Software Accessibility Checklist:

If the application has audio alerts, allow the user to choose visual cues for audio alerts using one of the following techniques:

  • The ShowSounds feature in Windows (Control Panel - Accessibility Options) is set by the user to request that applications sounds be presented visually. ShowSounds can be accessed in one of the following ways:
    • (Preferred method). Call the GetSystemMetrics function with the SM_SHOWSOUNDS parameter to get the value of the ShowSounds system parameter. If SM_SHOWSOUNDS is true or non-zero, present visual equivalents of audio information.
    • Call the SystemParametersInfo function with the SPI_GETSHOWSOUNDS parameter. If set, present visual equivalents of all audio information.
    • For more information, see Accessing ShowSounds Programmatically (link resides outside of ibm.com) on the Microsoft developers Web site.
  • The Windows SoundSentry feature can be used to provide visual feedback for general system alerts such as warning beeps. SoundSentry requires no special coding on the part of application developers.
  • The Macintosh Visual Alerts (link resides outside of ibm.com) feature is set by the user to request that errors and alerts sounds be presented visually by having the menu bar blink.

Provide visual cues in any of the following manners:

  • Display a message box for the alert. (Message Format Class of java.text, Windows MessageBox).
  • Display a status indicator on the notification area of the taskbar that flashes when initially displayed to attract the user's attention.(Windows Shell_NotifyIcon NIM_MODIFY).
  • Place a text message in a status window.(Container subclass for Panel or Dialog, java.awt.container, Windows C StatusBarCtrl SetPaneText).
  • Display a dialog (java.awt.dialog, Windows CreateDialog).

Testing techniques

Test the software to ensure that it complies with accessibility requirements.


Tools

There are no tools required to test this checkpoint.

Techniques

The following techniques are required to verify this checkpoint:

Windows Techniques
Action Result
1. Enable SoundSentry to verify there are visual cues for system audio alerts.
  • Goto Control Panel - Accessibility Options. On the Sound page, select the option to "Use SoundSentry".
  • Switch focus back to the application software.
  • Perform an action that causes the software to generate a system audio alert.
  • Verify that the software provides a visual cue for system audio alerts.
 Pass:

The software provides visual cues for system audio alerts. The following visual cues may be used:
  • A message box for the alert.
  • A status indicator on the notification area of the taskbar that flashes when initially displayed to attract the user's attention.
  • A text message in a status window.
  • A dialog.
Fail:

There are no visual indications for the system audio alerts. If there are no cues using ShowSounds, perform the next test to see if there is an application option to display visual cues.
2. Enable ShowSounds to verify there are visual cues for audio alerts.
  • Goto Control Panel - Accessibility Options. On the Sound page, select the option to "Use ShowSounds".
  • Switch focus back to the application software.
  • Perform an action that causes the software to generate a sound.
  • Verify that the software provides a visual cue in addition to the audio alert.
 Pass:

The software provides visual cues for audio alerts. The following list provides examples of visual cues that may be used:
  • A message box for the alert.
  • A status indicator on the notification area of the taskbar that flashes when initially displayed to attract the user's attention.
  • A text message in a status window.
  • A dialog.
Fail:

There are no visual indications for the audio alerts. If there are no cues using ShowSounds, perform the next test to see if there is an application option to display visual cues.
3. Test the user option to display visual cues for audio alerts. You do not need to perform this test if the ShowSounds test was successful.

If the software did not provide a visual cue with ShowSounds enabled, it must provide a user option to show audio alerts visually.
  • Enable the user option to display visual cues for audio alerts.
  • Perform an action that causes the software to generate a sound.
  • Verify that the software provides a visual cue in addition to the audio alert.
 Pass:

The software provides visual cues for audio alerts. The following list provides examples of visual cues that may be used:
  • A message box for the alert.
  • A status indicator on the notification area of the taskbar that flashes when initially displayed to attract the user's attention.
  • A text message in a status window.
  • A dialog.
Fail:
  • ShowSounds did not enable visual cues and there is no user option to enable visual cues for audio alerts.
  • The application provides a user option to enable visual cues, but the visual cues were not displayed.

The following techniques are required to verify this checkpoint:

Macintosh Techniques
Action Result
1. Enable Visual Alerts to verify there are visual cues for system audio alerts.
  • Goto Control Panel - Sound option. Click on the Alerts tab and turn the volume on Alert Volume and Main Volume all the way to the left, turning the volume for both off. For the main volume you can click the mute button.
  • Switch focus back to the application software.
  • Perform an action that causes the software to generate a sound. Verify that the menu bar blinks when there is an alert.
 Pass:

The menu bar blinks when there is an alert. Fail:

The menu bar does not blink when there is an alert.

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©2001, 2008 IBM Corporation

Last updated January 23, 2008.

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