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Affordances, Widgets and Forms |
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Evolution of the Text-Size Controller
–Different controls for different audiences
In 2001, I was designing a website for deaf students when I thought of creating an on-screen text-resizer. Browsers have built-in controls for text size, but many people don't know that, and the controls may not work with CSS-controlled font sizes.
Today, such widgets are common (see image at right, or click to view a larger version.) But so far as I know, the first one appeared on "Signing Science" early in 2002.*
My original designs were intentionally big and obvious, with detailed displays of what they did. They were successful with that audience. Some of those designs remain in use today.
This tool can be valuable in other contexts, including web sites visited by an aging population. For them, I use a less obtrusive presentation like the one on this website.
* Teachers loved it in the schools where "Signing Science" was tested. Sometimes it's the little things that have the greatest impact.
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