Featured TC: Kevin Prince

March

TechCommNZ caught up with long time technical communicator and new association member Kevin Prince on a hot summer evening by phone last week. Kevin will be sharing much of what he discussed in his TechCommNZ webinar Accessibility - Why? on Tuesday 31 March.

So how long have you been a Technical Communicator?

I've always been a technical communicator, I just didn't know what it was called. I have had a business analyst title but I've always been in the space between subject matter experts, communication and marketing departments, and the actual customers. I've been the glue trying to bring them all together. Sales staff sell items, but technical staff struggle to get the requirements clear. Much of the work was about getting the requirements right, so what was produced was actually what was asked for - and indeed what was wanted!

So you were at the Foundation for the Blind?

It's the Foundation of the Blind, an important distinction and one that gives an insight into their perspectives and relationship with the members. I was there for eight years, but now work as a consultant.

I came out to New Zealand and found a role designed to assist people with visual and sight requirements in their employment and study, usually scripting or process changes. But then I moved to a new role within the Foundation and got into advocacy. I was looking at websites, other publications, and documentation - dealing with technical communication issues with Government, local authorities, and corporates.

What was that about?

Usually telling them their websites sucked...

Can you share any examples?

Many, for example my boss at the Foundation hated junk mail as we all do but, having been blind from birth, wanted to be able to read it so he knew what he was trashing. The flyers from supermarkets were one problem as they couldn't be read using screenreaders due to way they were produced. We discovered, though, that the websites did have the information in an accessible format - the same information, just not accessible in the flyers due to the way it was structured. So that was one issue. Then we noticed something odd: the special offers weren’t obvious to blind customers.

So we did an online run-through of buying goods, with blind people selecting items, and we discovered specials weren't identifiable till the items were in the online checkout. They could be - but the users didn’t know it was possible and the supermarket didn’t know they needed to make it clear.

So we asked the supermarket, and the information was the same on the website and flyer but the supermarket’s marketing department wasn't talking to the website manager. Same items, same company, no communication. So they changed the way they produced the information on the flyer so it matched the website, and the specials could be easily identified, before purchase

And here's what was fascinating: my boss then discovered there was more than one type of cornflakes. Before there had just been cornflakes, but with a few changes he could now understand there were different types and prices.

Another worrying example, a Government ministry sent out a Word doc to people with disabilities, including the blind, with no structure to the information in the template. The instructions asked the recipients to circle round the answer they wanted and return it. Blind and partially sighted people couldn't work out what answer related to which question, and - anyway - couldn't circle anything. Then there was the one government consultation where a PDF scan was sent, asking opinions of blind people, that no one could read.

Sounds worrying...

Yes, and it is easy to avoid. For example, when properly formatted MSWord documents from Word 2010 and 2007 (.docx) are converted into PDF, their structure is marked up to be read by blind people. The information is already formatted for comprehension.

Is structure for the blind and partially sighted getting better?

Yes, yes it is. One issue that never seems to be 100% in the clear is design. Designers get excited by colours and odd text gradations, but as soon as they are looked at by people with visual issues, the designs often don't work. Colour contrast is vital - black on white, or white on black is obviously the strongest. Colour temperature (shading hue) between foreground and background is vital in producing items which can be read by people with less than perfect vision. It may look beautiful to a graphic designer, but if you can't read it, it's not communicating.

Register for Kevin's webinar Accessibility - Why? on Tuesday 31 March and learn how to make sure everyone can read your content.