Category Archives: Project Plan

ATbar maintenance checks, updates and using mind mapping online

We are updating ATbar all the time and working on new features such as the ability for the Text to Speech to read the Arabic dictionary if you want to highlight a definition and have it read back.

We have also found that if you maximise the Mindmeister map presented on this page by selecting the window in the map’s bottom toolbar – it opens a new window in the browser and you can launch ATbar to read the text on the mind map branches, add a tint overlay, use the dictionary etc.

Dictionary with TTS

The plan is to develop an automatic checking system to make sure the toolbar is always up and running as well as allowing us to keep individual statistics on each plugin so that we know they are robust over time.   This will help us when we complete quarterly reports.

 

ATbar website mock-up

ATbar mockup site

I have created a mock-up of the ATbar website, which will contain the main features of the toolbar, download, instructions and help files. It is quite basic at the moment and just displays some simple information. The links are just ‘anchors’ but do not go anywhere.

The “kit” (module development)  and “API” (application interface) links are intended to be for two subsites and are therefore highlighted in orange. They will be changed to be more elegant in the future. The page has enough space for plenty of content and both images and text work with the colour scheme.

Atbar mockup site arabic

ATbar mockup site in Arabic

Currently there is no Arabic version, but there are language links in the footer. The Arabic link uses Google translate for a quick demonstration of how it might look. Plans for an Arabic site need to be discussed.

 

 

Please comment on the layout, colour scheme and design, this is only the first draft.

ATbar Requirements (Draft 1.0)

Issue: Draft 1.0

Initial Work Requirements

ID Title Description
FR-IW-01 Modularisation Each function on the ATbar should be able to selected individually to populate the tool bar with user required functions.
FR-IW -02 Fix the web Report accessibility issues to “Fix the Web” organisation. The form needs to take under a minute to complete.
FR-IW-03 Text magnifier Increase or decrease text size.
FR-IW-04 Font changer Select a different font and increase the line spacing.
FR-IW-05 Style changer Change the colour of the ATbar toolbar as well as the webpage colours including the background, text and links. Pre-chosen styles should be available for the most common visual impairments.
FR-IW-06 Spell checker Checks spelling for plain text forms. Alternative suggestions should be displayed.
FR-IW-07 Dictionary When a word is highlighted and the dictionary selected, a definition from Wikitionary should appear.
FR-IW-08 Information for use Detailed user guide explaining each functions use and step by step images and instructions.
FR-IW-09 Restore webpage Reverts webpage back as normally seen.
FR-IW-10 Close ATbar Closes the ATbar stilling allowing the option to re-open it.
FR-IW-11 ALT tags Alternative text tags on all buttons
FR-IW-12 ATbar information Version number and website link should be provided.
FR-IW-13 x64 bit installer ATbar should be able to be installed on 32 and 64 bit operating systems.

Non-Functional Requirements

ID Title Description
NF-RQ-01 Clear icons The icons should clearly represent the task they perform.
NF-RQ-02 ATbar and icon size The ATbar toolbar and icons must be an appropriate size to be seen on common screen sizes (1024×768 upwards).


Welcome to ATbar

Image of atbar

The ATbar is a browser based option to aid accessibility of websites with the option to change the look and feel of webpages through text only enlargement, font style and colour changes plus increased line spacing.  There are also features for text to speech, a dictionary and spell checking.

The original toolbar was funded by JISC TechDis as an open source BSD licensed plug-in.  Fix the Web collaboration allowed for an additional element to be added to the toolbar – a small heart logo to the right of the ATbar logo.  Users of websites can report any issues with accessibility to the Fix the Web team for further checking so contact can be made with the developers.

To date the ATbar has had over 5 million uses with downloads occurring all over the world.  This has resulted in requests for versions in different languages and this blog is going to track the way the toolbar is being adapted to suit the Arabic language thanks to a grant from The Qatar Assistive Technology Center (Mada).