Amy¡¯s synopsis sounds about right from my arm chair.?
Ravelry definitely did not do the redesign with accessibility as a key priority. My work just went through a big web project and we need to follow provincial requirements and meant we needed to hire a firm that knew the design rules. Most aren¡¯t complicated but you have to start from the beginning. It¡¯s very difficult to retrofit.?
My impression is that Ravelry messed up and then didn¡¯t know how to fix it but also didn¡¯t really want to. That lead to the bad stuff in their responses to criticism, ?which is disappointing given their ?commitments to equity.?
I suspect the old site had issues and they certainly don¡¯t enforce accessibility standards for pattern PDFs. But these new issues seem to baked into the design including the font and background.?
That letter was something. It¡¯s rough to screw up something and then not know how to fix it. I can¡¯t say if it¡¯s a mental health issue. It is a PR mess though.?
I can use the site and don¡¯t want to wade into it...
Steph?
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On Jul 31, 2020, at 6:08 PM, Therese Shere <therese.shere@...> wrote:
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Thanks Amy, that helps. Yes, I read Jess's letter, that's why I asked. Haven't seen Rosemary's posts on IG, I'll go look...I guess.?
Surely people had problems with the old design as well? I have no idea how you could do a redesign without offending somebody. Which is not to say they handled it well.
--Therese
Th¨¦r¨¨se Shere
Freelance indexing & digital information design
On Fri, Jul 31, 2020 at 2:56 PM Amy Brotslaw Schweiger <
brotslaw@...> wrote:
The redesign - which, as I recall, none of us really cared for - has caused issues for some users - reports are of seizures, migraines, eye strain. Cassidy did not respond in a way that in inspired confidence in those having problems - indeed, she responded in a way that made disability activists feel that they had an ableist bias and were highly insensitive. It turns out the site was not properly beta tested, and concerns were dismissed. Cassidy sent some highly inflammatory emails to people calling her out.? After weeks of radio silence, Jessica responded with an apology and the news that Cassidy would no longer be in touch with Ravellers.?
My take: there are people having issues, and probably a bit of mass hysteria. Cassidy mishandled the redesign. Reading between the lines, it sure sounds like she¡¯s having mental health issues. I can¡¯t imagine writing the kind of letter Jess wrote - about your spouse. It¡¯s on the front page of Revelry, if you haven¡¯t seen it.
Our old friend Romi has many posts about this on her instagram account. There¡¯s lots of social media chatter all over the place.
Clear as mud??
Amy
Is any of you following this latest Ravelry mess closely? So that you can explain it to me in a sentence or two??
Just wondering.
--Therese
Th¨¦r¨¨se Shere
Freelance indexing & digital information design
