My post regarding Wells Fargo Financial’s “stone tablet and chisel” online bill pay technology was picked up by the Consumerist. Several commenters mentioned that they had encountered the same issues as I had when trying to log into their Wells Fargo Financial account. Many commenters suggested using various techniques to spoof the Wells Fargo “netscape-is-required” browser sniffer.

Ironically, my web site statistics showed several inbound visits from Wells Fargo IP addresses using web browsers that may or may not have been compatible with the Wells Fargo Financial online account access.

Well, here is where the power of blogging and user comments is revealed! The online account system is now compatible with Firefox and Safari!!! Hooray!

(continue reading…)

I would like to introduce Wells Fargo Financial to my favorite web browser - Firefox. Apparently, the uber high tech features of the Wells Fargo Financial website are only accessible to Internet Explorer (note, they only list versions 5 and 6!), Netscape Navigator (is it 1999?), and the ever popular America Online browser!

Firefox users (as well as anyone using Safari) who attempt to login to the Wells Fargo Financial website will be greeted by the following Firefox-unfriendly message:

(continue reading…)

The University of Michigan’s Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor is apparently in violation of the American’s with Disabilities Act. A letter sent to the University of Michigan by the U.S. Department of Education, Office for Civil Rights (OCR) (6MB PDF) informed the university that three complaints had been filed alleging that the stadium is “not accessible to or usable by individuals with mobility impairments.” The OCR determined that the University of Michigan was in violation of Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and of Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990.

(continue reading…)

The University of Tennessee recently re-designed their primary web pages. The new page design is very accessible, user-friendly, aesthetically pleasing and it’s optimized for search engines. Pages were coded using standards-based design techniques. Their use of cascading style sheets to “style” the homepage is gorgeous and accessible for users with visual impairments. Kudos to the University of Tennessee and the Office of Creative Services! They have truly created a “web 2.0″ university website.

(continue reading…)

From the Official Google Blog:

World Usability Day, November 14, 2006, is for everyone who’s ever asked these questions. This Earth Day style event, focused on raising awareness and visibility of usability engineering and user centered design, is currently being organized by volunteers and local event coordinators from around the world. Whether a usability professional or just an enthusiastic (or frustrated) user, each participant is making a contribution to “making life easy”.

Check out the worldwide usability events map as well as the usability webcasts schedule.

The Zerolon by Zeroll:

• Made of aircraft aluminum
• Hard anodized, fused Teflon finish
• Cuts waste up to 20%
• Self-defrosting fluid in handle for quick load, fast release
• Unique one-piece design
• No moving parts
• Comfortable in right or left hand

Anecdotal information shows that the “Original Zeroll and the Zerolon have increased profits for businesses for almost 65 years.”

(continue reading…)

Giving presentations on web usability and web accessibility at conferences and workshops: 9

Talking about web standards and web accessibility at meetings: 1,476

Adding ALT attributes to images and testing Flash to see if it really can be compatible with screenreaders: 2,322+

Working on websites to ensure that they are accessible for all users: 11

Hearing my colleagues mention web accessibility, Section 508, and web standards before I do: Priceless.