> any low-vision users have software-based screen magnifiers. Sometimes they augment the magnifier with text-to-speech software when reading longer passages of text.
[...]
> to be truly accessible, a website must allow individual preferences in colour, size and typeface to override the author’s suggested design.
The website you provide to support your position tells you not to do what you're doing.
(Ironically, the accessibility guidelines are in an unaccessible PDF).
>Does it change your mind at all that you linked to a zoomable site?
No, I said I decide based on the needs of the project and which devices will be supported which META tag makes the most sense. Not 100% of my projects disable zooming, and I don't believe 100% of sites should disable zooming. Zooming is a useful feature added to mobile browser that does serve a purpose: to allow the user to navigate a site that was designed without their device/hardware in mind. It's good at what it does, but it's not better than a properly designed site (whatever that means). My job is to figure out for each project what a properly designed site means, and for the big web-app type projects that make the most money, having zooming disabled allows me to deliver a better experience I couldn't with zooming enabled.
But I didn't link to the RGD.ca site to help prove my case, my learning comes from actually doing web development, not what an organization says is best practice. Mine comes from hundreds of hours of specializing in making sites that dont support mobile convert more users. People hire me because I help them reach more mobile customers, and I make a fraction of the money I make for my clients by supporting mobile better.
I posted the link to the Registered Graphic Designers site because the commenter above me said:
> If designers were actually licensed, I think that disabling zoom should be an offense that results in a 2-year revocation of design license.
Here where I live if you're RGD you get letters after your name like a dentist or reverend. So a little education before speaking can help keep the conversation on a contructive path.
I listen to my users and none have complained about zooming where zooming has been disabled. There are voices here offering opinions and I do actually care about their reasons.
Please, tell me the reasons why zooming on a legible, usable design is necessary. Explain your side of things, downvotes and ad hominems aren't constructive, and there is value in this conversation being had. Why is this conversation being treated like spam? Here's your chance to tell the guy who makes mobile sites the way they are how you wish they were different and all you want to do is stop others from seeing that I'm listening here on HN?
I'd appreciate any constructive input on the pain points of using mobile sites. Today's work includes taking a credit card form designes in 2009 and making it work on mobile. Seriously, if there's valuable insight you have that I can use to make this easier for you I'm all ears.
> Please, tell me the reasons why zooming on a legible, usable design is necessary
Because what is "legible, usable" to most users still isn't to some. Not all of us have good eyesight. Some of us have horrendous eyesight. You may think that 16pt text is "legible", but for some users, nothing less than 32pt is readable.
I have no idea why you would add css that diasbles zoom.
Do everything you currently do, but don't add "user-scalable=0" to the css. Doing so provides no benefit to anyone, but does make your pages harder to use for a large section of users.
You still haven't listed the benefits of disabling zoom.
User scaling is more than just the zoom gesture, it's a different way of controlling the web page in Mobile Safari, and because of these differences the user experience is quite different. With User Scaling enabled, you can use the zoom gesture, pinch gesture, or double-tap gesture to scale the viewport.
But how does Mobile Safari know the difference between a single-tap and a double-tap? By waiting 300ms after the first tap to see if you tap again!
By disabling user scaling, yes the zoom gesture (and pinch gesture) no longer scale the viewport, BUT Mobile Safari also stops delaying all tap input 300ms to wait for a double-tap. that means every link you tap, every button you press, every field you highlight, and every other interaction with the site goes much faster and smoother.
Faster tap response time = a better user experience. Even if the site was 100% responsive, when I turn user scaling off Mobile Safari just works faster than with a fully responsive, scaled and accurately displayed site where Mobile Safari is waiting to tell single-taps from double-taps.
I know for some people 300ms doesn't sound like a lot, but for us it would translate into a loss of at least $,$$$ annually if not $$,$$$ due to the loss of those mobile users due to a 'non-responsive' site in a different way: time.
Stop being user hostile. It's illegal in your jurisdiction; your customers do not know what you're doing and almost certainly wouldn't want you to do it if they did understand; and the users hate it.
I am aware of this, but most iOS users do not use Chrome. I am also aware of FastClick and Google's FastButton as well, and I have even used them where the need applied.
We do listen to our users, and there absolutely IS such thing as licensing in this industry: http://www.rgd.ca/