Originally posted by phoebehey:
Just sent this to their contact address....
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Hello,
As an avid viewer of Deal or No Deal I was glad to see it back on channel 4 on Monday. During the last series it was very rare if I missed a day of completing the free online web entry for the competition. However I was digusted to find that your web development team has replaced the easy to use, flash based system with an inaccessible AJAX implementation. Plus one of those stupid, unusable random code generators that rarely generates an understandable series of characters. To be blunt, not a happy bunny at all.
No one likes filling in forms on the web. So have the flash version where you could just rewind the playback was an acceptable alternative. In fact as good accessibility and usability, if you are requesting the same information from a user more than once (apparently up to 30 times per day), you shouldn't make them have to re-enter their details each time. It should be prefilled for them. You are supposed to make the whole process as simple and as easy as possible. And don't tell me this wouldn't be something easy to implement. You could easily ask people to register their details once, and allow them the ability to enter the competition each day - that way (as you seem to think you care so much about our privacy and personal details) we wouldn't have to submit them each time over the net for someone to listen in to.
I am surprised to see the site using such an inaccessible form using AJAX and JavaScript. It means that any user who has javascript turned off or not available on their browser, just won't be able to use it.
And as for that "catchpa" you have used, that is the worst thing you could have done. I can understand why a site like yahoo would want to implement such a device, but your reasoning "for your security" is deplorable. It's to slow down the demand on your servers, and to be honest if you know how popular the service is, and if you are prone to DOS attacks, then you should build for that and not downgrade the service to your honest users.
And my main big issue with this new security widget of yours, is that it really does make entering the competition practically impossible - yet we are told you have just as much chance winning via the form than phoning. The characters generated are unreadable, and so anything you enter is almost always wrong, and since you don't pre fill the form for us, we have to go through that whole scam again. And most importantly of all, you have discriminated against a whole population of disabled users including the visually impared who can't see the image, and they have no alternative way of finding out what the 'special' code they have to enter is, and can not therefore enter the competition. There is no alternative text for their screen reader, or chosen web browsing client, to read out to them. And not allowing them the ability to enter is against the law. You are actively discriminating against them and have not provide any online means of them being able to.
I suggest your technical guys and your lawyers read this:
http://www.webcredible.co.uk/user-friendly-resources/we...l-requirements.shtmlIn particular this bit....
Can you be sued?
Basically, yes. The RNIB has approached two large companies with regard to their websites. When they raised the accessibility issues of the websites under the DDA, both companies made the necessary changes, rather than facing the prospect of legal action (in exchange for anonymity).
Hope you get this sorted as soon as possible as you have not only pissed off a whole load of genuine fans, your'e breaking the law!
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Let's see if we get a response
Phoebehey
