Mmmm, do you think this would apply to changing banner ads?
If you were hard of sight would a video be helpful?
Out of interest how many sites are W3C compliant? Does anyone know?

On 13:57:09 7 April 2008 rmm wrote:

Let me add an interesting (if perhaps slightly provocativel) viewpoint to the question about choice about watching the video or not.

1) If an organisation is subject to UK laws then its website must be accessible or make reasonable adjustments to allow accessibility to comply with the Disability Discrimination Act (DDA)

2) Many accessibility experts believe that conforming to the W3C Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) (whilst not a specific requirement for compliance with the DDA) will help any defence in court against discrimination.

3) There is a specific requirement in the W3C WCAG (checkpoint 7.3 priority level 2) that says "Until user agents allow users to freeze moving content, avoid movement in pages"

Of course this is all subject to interpretation and there is no case law (yet), but I think it is wise to proceed with caution. This obviously to any kind of animation as well as video.

On 10:51:14 5 April 2008 AndyAndy wrote:

I find i don't agree with this general rule. Whether the viewer gets a choice about watching the video or not will depend on each situation.

To use an analogy, if i was operating in a sunday market selling my wares then i might have to speak to people passing by get their attention. Nothing wrong in that and they would understand it.

I would agree with 30-60 seconds for a first video, but there are plenty of cases where longer and more detailed videos are justifiable and will be watched. For example, providing customer service.

anyway, good debate!

On 19:08:01 3 April 2008 Innagle wrote:

Consider it carefully - the general rule is: "Let the customer decide". Therefore:

1. Do not start the video automatically
2. Do include a MUTE option

And of course, as mentioned, keep the run-time 30-60 secs max.

Regards,
Bjarne
Manager, Innagle - The free company directory for outsourcing and consultants
http://www.innagle.com