Isolating a Subsector

[thalassogen]

FYI, the intent behind this is to be useful with a touchscreen… Maybe the two projects tackling this could merge? ;-) Id hate for duplicated effort to become a problem.

I am doing this on request by inexorabletash. I guess he is reading this and will copy my work into TravellerMap as soon as he will have time to do so.


Concerning the letter-clicking: I intended on enabling the whole side area to be clickable, not just the letter. Hm, I will upload a new version reserving more space and removing the letter, just using the title-attribute to list "coreward", "rimward", etc.

I will inform you, when the new page is up.

 

[thalassogen]

OK, here it is: http://heldenhaufen.de/T5/InteractiveVO.html?sx=-4&sy=-1&ss=2

Now the areas are larger and I replaced the text with images and corresponding alternative texts. Can you check the result and give feedback on it?

 

[inexorabletash]

Trying it on my iPad with VoiceOver...

The page ends up slightly too tall to fit on an iPad screen. It will need to be about 100 pixels shorter.

Ditch the images for scrolling - they are vocalized as "Coreward: Image". It would be better to make them just styled A tags so they will be read as "Coreward: Link" - and maybe make it "scroll Coreward".

(I was hoping to put info about the adjacent sector/subsector into the links but that's not urgent.)

 

[SpaceBadger]

FYI, the intent behind this is to be useful with a touchscreen… Maybe the two projects tackling this could merge? ;-) Id hate for duplicated effort to become a problem.

I believe that inexorabletash and thalassogen are working together on creating touch-friendly access to the Travellermap.com data.

Combining that with what I'm doing on touch-maps in the Traveller Wiki... well, they are really two different things, which is one reason that we have both resources for sighted users already. Travellermap.com is an awesome resource for exploring all of Charted Space, and you can also drill down to the individual system data. It doesn't really lend itself to lengthy, encyclopedic articles about individual parts of the map.

Fortunately, lengthy, encyclopedic articles are exactly what the Wiki does quite well. The touch-maps I am working on in the Traveller Wiki will link into the already existing Wiki pages to give users that in-depth information when wanted.

The two projects are really complementary, allowing users who are blind or have limited eyesight access to both of these resources.

 

[BlindGuy]

Carry on, then. I defer to greater knowledge of the resources available and will go back to generating rock balls in space.

 

[thalassogen]

(I was hoping to put info about the adjacent sector/subsector into the links but that's not urgent.)

Do you mean something like this? http://heldenhaufen.de/T5/InteractiveVO.html

 

[inexorabletash]

Do you mean something like this? http://heldenhaufen.de/T5/InteractiveVO.html

Exactly!

Although I was thinking the links should still be positioned around the perimeter of the page as you had them originally.

BlindGuy - do you have a preference for navigation link positioning?

 

[BlindGuy]

Certainly I'd prefer positioning around the perimeter of the map, though I realize this adds to size in unpredictable ways.

 

[SpaceBadger]

Zack, have you had a chance to check out progress so far on the Regina Subsector touch-map?

I haven't had time to finish the Access work to complete image-mapping all hexes, but I did some by hand across the top of the page.

How does this map size and orientation work out for you on your tablet (since that is my "target system" on development for this)?

My intention is for the map to pretty much fill your tablet screen, to maximize relative size and give more "finger room" for reading the individual hexes. Is that working out OK for you?

Also, one more question about your read-aloud software: if you move your finger to a new space on the map, does it finish reading the previous space, or does it just cut off and begin reading the new space?

If the latter, I think it might work better to just make one square per hex (or could go back to circles, easier to do and fit hexes better) with all of the hex information in that one square, beginning with the most important information and running to less important, so if you hear what you need (such as just the name of the hex/system) and don't want any more, you can just move your finger to the next hex, or whatever you are trying to find.

 

[thalassogen]

Although I was thinking the links should still be positioned around the perimeter of the page as you had them originally.

Coreward and rimward will work just fine this way, but trailing and spinward would need text rotation and this is currently not possible (at least not in a neutral and reliable way, as far as I know).

 

[SpaceBadger]

Coreward and rimward will work just fine this way, but trailing and spinward would need text rotation and this is currently not possible (at least not in a neutral and reliable way, as far as I know).

Do you really need text rotation if its primary purpose is to be read aloud by a screenreader app?

I'm just asking; I don't know the answer. On the map I'm working on, the image-mapped text for adjacent subsectors to spinward and trailing will just spill across the map; untidy for viewing with eyes, but don't know if it would make any difference to the read-aloud app.

Time to test: I'll go add perimeter links for adjacent subsectors to my test map and see how they work for Zack. (Zack, these will be non-working links for now, but should read aloud the names of the adjacent subsectors when touched.)

 

[thalassogen]

As far as I know, the map should fill an iPad screen. The images I first created were to narrow and the second attempt had wider images - too wide for the iPad screen. If I didn't rotate the text, than the map's width would be much wider than a portrait oriented screen - at least I guess so, I don't have an iPad to test and VoiceOver seems to be Apple-specific.

 

[SpaceBadger]

As far as I know, the map should fill an iPad screen. The images I first created were to narrow and the second attempt had wider images - too wide for the iPad screen. If I didn't rotate the text, than the map's width would be much wider than a portrait oriented screen - at least I guess so, I don't have an iPad to test and VoiceOver seems to be Apple-specific.

I forgot, your text is all there on the map to be read by touching the different hexes; mine just pops up like tooltips, image-mapped to a regular graphic hex map.

Would it be possible instead of actually rotating the text to make it vertical?

J
e
w
e
l
l

S
u
b
s
e
c
t
o
r

A
d
j
a
c
e
n
t

Or would the read-aloud app not be able to read that?

 

[thalassogen]

Would it be possible instead of actually rotating the text to make it vertical?

Yes.

Or would the read-aloud app not be able to read that?

I wished I could test that myself.

@BlindGuy: Can you verify this using the text posted by SpaceBadger or should I change the website for you to test?

 

[BlindGuy]

Can't Test on iPad just now, but…

I feel I should mention that scrolling the screen isn't a problem. I need to do that anyway on the test map InexorableTash provided—The last few rows of hexes don't quite fit at the bottom. It isn't a huge deal.

That being said,vertical text reads otter by letter on my Mac, so will probably be similarly disorienting on the iPad.

 

[SpaceBadger]

Zack, I don't know if you noticed some questions that I posted that were on the previous page:

Zack, have you had a chance to check out progress so far on the Regina Subsector touch-map?

I haven't had time to finish the Access work to complete image-mapping all hexes, but I did some by hand across the top of the page.

How does this map size and orientation work out for you on your tablet (since that is my "target system" on development for this)?

My intention is for the map to pretty much fill your tablet screen, to maximize relative size and give more "finger room" for reading the individual hexes. Is that working out OK for you?

Also, one more question about your read-aloud software: if you move your finger to a new space on the map, does it finish reading the previous space, or does it just cut off and begin reading the new space?

If the latter, I think it might work better to just make one square per hex (or could go back to circles, easier to do and fit hexes better) with all of the hex information in that one square, beginning with the most important information and running to less important, so if you hear what you need (such as just the name of the hex/system) and don't want any more, you can just move your finger to the next hex, or whatever you are trying to find.

 

[BlindGuy]

Generally positive Results

Zack, I don't know if you noticed some questions that I posted that were on the previous page:

Here are belated answers. The map orientation works out well, but it doesn't really fill my screen as such. It seems to be predominantly in the bottom quadrant,with Wiki navigation stuff bordering it and periodic announcements of "Regina Subsector touch map," which kind of puzzle me.

That being said, speech is interruptible. I can move my finger from hex to hex and not have to listen to old information. So we're nearly there, I'd guess.

Best,
Zack.

Edit: Scrolling down slightly makes the rest of the map visible, though I can't get much audio feedback from it. It's kind of hard to tell where the audible hexes went, presumably near the top.

 

[SpaceBadger]

The map orientation works out well, but it doesn't really fill my screen as such. It seems to be predominantly in the bottom quadrant,with Wiki navigation stuff bordering it

Not sure if we can do anything about the Wiki stuff - that is part of the layout on every page of the Wiki, no matter what subject. I'll check w tjoneslo about that.

and periodic announcements of "Regina Subsector touch map," which kind of puzzle me.

That could be in the blank hexes, which just link right back to the map page. I tried omitting links from those, but it created an error in the image-map. This is an item for further research, as I dislike having links for no real purpose.

Is it reading you the hex number first, and then saying "Regina Subsector touch map"?

One thing that might sorta work would be if I could put some pauses in after the reading of the blank hex number, so that you could move your finger on to someplace more interesting after locating the blank hex, but before it reads the link. Any suggestions? Maybe a few commas inserted there, or would your software just read through them as "comma comma comma"? Is there a standard character for "pause" in your software?

That being said, speech is interruptible. I can move my finger from hex to hex and not have to listen to old information. So we're nearly there, I'd guess.

That's good news, will simplify my slicing/dicing/output procedure as I can just make a single circular image-mapped area for each hex, and when you have heard as much as you want to hear about that hex, just move finger elsewhere.

Did the map-edge links for adjacent subsectors read out OK?

 

[BlindGuy]

NoStandard Pause

That could be in the blank hexes, which just link right back to the map page. I tried omitting links from those, but it created an error in the image-map. This is an item for further research, as I dislike having links for no real purpose.

Is it reading you the hex number first, and then saying "Regina Subsector touch map"?

One thing that might sorta work would be if I could put some pauses in after the reading of the blank hex number, so that you could move your finger on to someplace more interesting after locating the blank hex, but before it reads the link. Any suggestions? Maybe a few commas inserted there, or would your software just read through them as "comma comma comma"? Is there a standard character for "pause" in your software?

No standard pause character i'm afraid, comma is read as comma in most cases, especially on its own. No, it was mostly saying "Regina Subsector TouchMap," without regard to any hex. Weird.

That's good news, will simplify my slicing/dicing/output procedure as I can just make a single circular image-mapped area for each hex, and when you have heard as much as you want to hear about that hex, just move finger elsewhere.

Did the map-edge links for adjacent subsectors read out OK?

The map links were great.

 

[SpaceBadger]

Edit: Scrolling down slightly makes the rest of the map visible, though I can't get much audio feedback from it. It's kind of hard to tell where the audible hexes went, presumably near the top.

Yes, that is because I only have the first three hexes of the first three columns filled in by hand, plus the first hex each of columns four through eight, just to let you test out the read-aloud functioning so far. There should also be narrow areas along each edge of the map for the links to adjacent subsectors.

I actually have a couple of uninterrupted hours expected this afternoon, so maybe I can get a complete "first draft" up for you to try, and then we can refine through subsequent drafts until we get a version you are happy with.

Then when we have Regina working just the way you want, I can quickly produce touch-maps for the rest of the Spinward Marches, plus make instructions for anyone else who would like to make touch-maps for other sectors.

Have you thought any more about where you would like to put your new subsector that you are making in that other thread? If you put it along the trailing edge of Foreven Sector, I can make a touch-map for it letting you "travel" there from the Marches, but this would conflict with the data you'd be seeing on Travellermap.com - although Foreven is supposed to be a "Referee's Preserve", there was some publication of subsectors for it, and those are on Travellermap - but the same problem would apply anywhere else in Charted Space, so if you want to be able to get from the Marches to your own newly-created stuff, Foreven would be the best place for it.