RED1. Difficulty recognizing the availability of search results

Definition

A situation that arises from difficulty ascertaining whether search results are available due to a lack of system feedback.

Factors Leading to the Situation

  • Inadequate feedback: insufficient DL status
  • Inadequate feedback: insufficient dynamic applications/features/content

Guidelines

  1. Ensure that a change in DL status is accompanied by instant notification.

Rationale for Suggesting the above Guidelines

BVI (text with tooltip) The acronym for Blind and Visually Impaired. It refers to BVI users who rely on screen readers to interact with digital libraries (DLs). users rely on screen readers (text with tooltip) A software program that reads textual information through synthesized speech and offers specialized keyboard commands to operate a computer interface. to get feedback about search status and search results. Without appropriate feedback conveyed through screen readers, BVI users cannot perceive any update for their searches as they use a DL (text with tooltip) The acronym for digital library (DL) . The suggested guideline ensures that instant feedback will be provided to keep BVI users informed about updated search results (e.g., whether searches are done, how many search results are found).

Techniques and Methods to Comply with a Specific Design Guideline

1.1. Apply aria-live (text with tooltip) An HTML attribute that allows assistive technology to receive notifications when error messages are added to a Live Region container. attribute (polite or assertive) to search results when a search is completed.

Features Suggested for Users

1.1.1. Search status and search results (See example 1.1.1.a1., 1.1.1.a2. and 1.1.1.a3.)

Examples of Best Practice

1.1.1.a1. Search status and search results

When BVI (text with tooltip) The acronym for Blind and Visually Impaired. It refers to BVI users who rely on screen readers to interact with digital libraries (DLs). users conduct a search in HathiTrust using their iPhones, VoiceOver will inform them by “webpage loaded,” meaning that the search is finished (RED1 Figure a1). BVI users subsequently can use the gesture “Two-finger swipe up” to “Speak the entire screen from the top” to the search results. The process of conducting a search on HathiTrust library using an iPhone
RED1 Figure a1. An example of search status feedback

1.1.1.a2. Search status and search results

Using Android, TalkBack will inform BVI users of “full-text search results, HathiTrust digital library, page loaded” after conducting a search. TalkBack also reads the number of search results when a user swipes to that section (RED1 Figure a2).
A HathiTrust Digital Library search results page on an Android device
RED1 Figure a2. An example of search status feedback with a search result summary

1.1.1.a3. Using aria-live attribute on JavaScript

After the search is completed, the aria-live (text with tooltip) An HTML attribute that allows assistive technology to receive notifications when error messages are added to a Live Region container.  attribute announces the content of the status element with a message indicating that the search results are ready. In the RED1 Figure a3, the screen reader (text with tooltip) A software program that reads textual information through synthesized speech and offers specialized keyboard commands to operate a computer interface.  will inform users when a search has finished loading, and also the number of retrieved items.

View and Copy code 
<!-- Search Results --> 
 
<div id="search-results"> 
 
<!-- Dynamically filled with search results --> 
 
</div> 
 
<!-- ARIA Live Region for Status Updates --> 
 
<div id="search-status" aria-live="assertive" aria-atomic="true" style="position: 
 
absolute; left: -9999px;"></div> 
 
<script> 
 
async function performSearch(event) { 
 
    event.preventDefault(); 
 
    const searchStatus = document.getElementById('search-status'); 
 
    const searchResults = document.getElementById('search-results'); 
 
    const query = document.getElementById('search-input').value; 
 
   
 
    // Notify user that the search is in progress 
 
    searchStatus.textContent = 'Searching...'; 
 
   
 
    try { 
 
        // Simulate an API call to fetch search results (replace with actual API call) 
 
        const response = await fetch(`https://api.example.com/search?q=${query}`); 
 
        const data = await response.json(); 
 
   
 
        // Assuming data.results is an array of search results 
 
        const numberOfResults = data.results.length; 
 
   
 
        // Display search results 
 
        searchResults.innerHTML = data.results.map(result => `<p>${result.title}</p>`).join(''); 
 
   
 
        // Update ARIA live region with the number of results 
 
        searchStatus.textContent = `Search complete. ${numberOfResults} results found.`; 
 
    } catch (error) { 
 
        // Handle errors and notify user 
 
        searchStatus.textContent = 'An error occurred while searching. Please try again.'; 
 
    } 
 
} 
 
</script>
 

ARIA live and Java Script codes to announce search status when users submit a search query
RED1 Figure a3. An example code for aria-live attribute

Examples of Poor Practice

1.1.1.b. Difficulty recognizing the availability of search results

After BVI (text with tooltip) The acronym for Blind and Visually Impaired. It refers to BVI users who rely on screen readers to interact with digital libraries (DLs). users submit a search in the mobile DL, VoiceOver only announces “submit search” when search results are returned (RED1 Figure b1). The lack of feedback becomes a challenge for them in knowing whether the search results are available or not. “So it wasn’t intuitive, so whether is there a time I hit search, it would go back to the search field like it didn’t search. … It didn’t say that it searched even though it did.” (IP9-LA) BVI users have difficulty obtaining VoiceOver feedback for search status after conducting a search in a library
RED1 Figure b1. Screenshot of difficulty recognizing the availability of search results

Resources

See also: