Recommendation 4.1.1 Information for users to select their documents to their preference
New standards released
The New Zealand Web Standards 2.0 were released in March 2009 and replace the previous version, the New Zealand Government Web Standards 1.0 (below). See Meeting the standards for more information.
The Recommendation
Recommendation 4.1.1 Information for users to select their documents to their preference.
Provide information so that users may receive documents according to their preferences (e.g. language, content type, etc.)
Guide to this recommendation
Alternative Style Sheets (CSS) are a means of enabling users to specify their presentation preferences, by setting specific presentation attributes. For further details refer to W3C:
Access to alternative representations of content
Aural Cascading Style Sheets assists non-sighted users and voice-browser users. This is part of W3C’s CSS2 specification.
Māori is an official language of New Zealand. Government agency web sites should have their content able to be provided in both English and Māori.
Most Content Management Systems (CMS) enable the presentation of page content for the same pages in multiple languages. In such cases, the content is filled out in all languages (the CMS does not perform an automatic translation!) and a simple menu selection provided to the user as to their choice of content language.
Where possible and appropriate, provide downloadable documents in multiple language formats deemed appropriate for your audience types, i.e. English and Māori.
Related Recommendation
4.1.2 - Versions and other aspects of a document
This recommendation covers the W3C WAI checkpoint 11.3 for NZ government agencies.
Rationale for this recommendation
When downloadable objects such as documents, program executables and multimedia files are presented for download, users need to know if the object downloaded is going to be accessible. If the downloaded object requires further software, or a different version to that which they may have, to access the object, the downloaded object is not accessible. This is frustrating for all users, all the more so if the user has persevered through a long download time and/or time-outs to capture the object.
Stating upfront the format, size, version and any other third party object dependencies of an object enables the user to make a choice whether to proceed with the download.
Not all users will have the natural language of the web site as their first language. Downloadable documents provided in multiple languages appropriate to the likely audience of the web site will aid the accessibility of the information being made available.
