[wp-trac] [WordPress Trac] #35050: Remove title attributes: Plugin Cards

[WordPress Trac]

#35050: Remove title attributes: Plugin Cards
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 Reporter:  afercia                    |       Owner:  afercia
     Type:  defect (bug)               |      Status:  reopened
 Priority:  normal                     |   Milestone:  4.5
Component:  Plugins                    |     Version:  4.4
 Severity:  normal                     |  Resolution:
 Keywords:  has-screenshots has-patch  |     Focuses:  ui, accessibility
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Comment (by afercia):

 In short: why we're conveying this info to just some users and not to all
 users?

 TL;DR

 Well it's not just about links :) I really see title attributes as a thing
 of the past, with a very limited utility for '''all''' users, and
 [https://andreafercia.wordpress.com/2014/10/14/thoughts-on-the-title-
 attribute/ I think I'm not the only one].

 About accessibility, screen readers won't read out title attributes when
 used on not-focusable elements. Or, at least, I can't make the screen
 readers I test with read out that title attribute :) This is true also for
 the established practice to use a title attribute to expand `<abbr>` see
 for example #35064 where the proposed patch expands the abbreviation in
 plain text.

 I'd suggest to make an effort to have an approach that's not just "visual"
 but more focused on semantics and the way data are made available to
 users. If this is a relevant information for all users, then it should be
 visible for '''all''' users :)

 > I think it's a common UI expectation
 Yep, but just for mouse/trackpad/alternate pointing devices users. Not for
 mobile and tablet users as well as assistive tech users. So basically
 we're conveying a small piece of information that's available just for
 some users while we should make it available for all users.

 In this specific case I'm not saying the absolute date should be
 completely removed. By the way, the "Plugin Cards" are by their own nature
 a "summary" of the Plugins features. I think 80% of users will be happy
 with a relative date. If interested in the details, there's a "More
 Details" link for that. See #35111 where the proposal is to display the
 absolute date below (or instead of?) the relative one.

 I'd also like to say that actually I'm glad there's some conversation
 about the general usage of title attributes. There's no rush: we're just
 at the beginning of a release cycle so there's time to share ideas and
 different points of view if the goal is to improve things with a pragmatic
 approach avoiding academic debates.

 Finally, I've recently had the opportunity to attend a conference where
 I've heard that if using title attributes ''there's something lacking in
 your interface to begin with'' :)
 https://videopress.com/v/YYVkXSx7?at=1269 so I'd rather make the interface
 beautiful and complete than rely on HTML features
 [http://www.w3.org/TR/html5/dom.html#the-title-attribute which usage is
 currently discouraged]

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Ticket URL: <https://core.trac.wordpress.org/ticket/35050#comment:12>
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