Not two days after I mention the WAI website article about “captchas” than Internet News runs the headline, “Is Google Shutting Out The Blind? “.
As it turns out, Google’s requires registrations for user services which use the captcha, such as beta offerings, Blogger and Gmail. The article goes to explore the accessibility initiatives of Yahoo and MSN. Google expects to have some sort of resolution in about a month.
I’ll be in San Jose next month, speaking at the Search Engine Strategies conference. Usually, there is a big party at the Googleplex, so this question will be on the top of my list if it hasn’t been addressed by then.
I saw a variation on this over the week-end where you are offered, as an alternative, to download an MP3 of the letters and digits spelt out. But the question is: what mechanisms can you use to prevent automated processes to register while making said process accessible?
Comment by Bruno Girin — July 11, 2005 @ 9:16 am
According to Jacob Nielson, there needs to be multiple methods for allowing access. Simply playing a MP3 file would not be enough, as the combinations of letters and numbers are not in any logical order, the file would have to be replayed multiple times to get all of the information. CNET did a test on the Hotmail sign up, which provides a sound file as an alternative. However, it was so garbled to prevent automated translation that the CNET reporters couldn’t understand it. Most alternatives, at this point, still limit access to groups of people. The main issue is that visual-only methods create problems.
It will be interesting to see the resolution that Google comes up with, as that will most likely be the most-publicized method. Many other sites will have to quickly follow suit, as this problem is gaining increased exposure.
Comment by Matt Bailey — July 12, 2005 @ 10:53 am
I often find myself staring at these captchas and wondering how to read them. Fortunately most sites are offering audio readback as well these days. Google is probably offering some other alternatives too now.
Comment by Dr. Richard — June 6, 2008 @ 8:06 pm