Narrative Structure#
Test Type Performed#
Information cannot be navigated according to narrative or structure.
Artifact Evaluated#
Plotting interface. Specifically, evaluating the interfaces for all charts in our test environment: line, bar, table and scatter plot.
Results Summary#
Plotting interface does not provide a narrative structure that allows navigation or interaction into the chart and its elements (for keyboard-only and SR modalities). All “navigation” just takes users straight to the plot tools.
Expected Behavior (Pass/Fail)#
FAIL - Chart must provide a way to be navigated according to its data or narrative structure. The title, description, annotations, and then lower level data structures should be navigable and in that order. Chart data that contains sub-grouping (like a stacked bar chart) or nesting (like a treemap or hierarchy) must provide keyboard navigation that can navigate between levels and/or laterally across levels (in a non-linear fashion). Keyboard navigation must be comparable to the data structure (including cases where the data structure is novel) as well as provide linear or tabular navigation (like in a table or list).
Image or Video of Failure#
A web browser is shown with multiple charts. A screen reader navigates through the page and through multiple charts, but very limited information is given as they do so (fails).
Steps to Reproduce#
Using a screen reader, navigate as normal. Pass through all content related to the visualization and data: is there a meaningful story constructed? Is the data+information flowing from high-level to lower level? Are important interactive elements presented in order of their importance (IE filtering/searching/arranging first, then subfiltering/selecting/etc later)?
Using a keyboard-only, press TAB to begin navigating to the chart. Continue using TAB to experience the high-level interactive element order. TAB should only reveal interactive elements, but visually, there should be exposure to titles, subtitles, axes, legends, annotations, and more as TAB progresses. Note: these elements should simply be in sight but only receive keyboard focus if they are interactive.
Using a screen reader or a keyboard: if granular chart elements provide additional context or information (to a sighted user, such as via a tooltip), then this should also be tested as part of the flow. This is usually one of the last things that should be exposed to users (after title, subtitle, axes, legends, annotations). Within chart navigation, higher level groupings in the data should be navigable before lower level children elements (if groupings exist in the data). Examples of this are lines -> line data points, stacks in a stacked bar -> stacked bars, clusters in a scatter -> individual points, color-encoded groups in chart -> elements within that encoding, etc. Sometimes these groupings can be nested under the axes or legends provided, when appropriate.
After or before chart-element navigation, it may be appropriate to also experience a data table.
Guidelines and Standards Used#
Information cannot be navigated according to narrative or structure https://chartability.github.io/POUR-CAF/#informationcannotbenavigatedaccordingtonarrativeorstructure
Technical Details#
Chrome Version 129.0.6668.59 (64-bit)
JAWS 2023.2402.1
Windows 11 Build 22631.3958
Updated as of: September 18th, 2024
Notes#
A seasoned SR (screen reader) user could have the knowledge to navigate and explore webpages and graphs with more nuance, whether through manual mode switching, certain key shortcuts, etc. These tests are done by a sighted user with the SR’s default options and performed as if a new or beginner user is interacting with these elements. We would expect that all users could be able to navigate smoothly, regardless of experience levels.