A screenshot from the Google Home app instructing the user to connect an Ethernet cable to the WAN port of a Google Wifi router, with an image of the bottom of the router and the WAN port highlighted with a blue globe icon. At the bottom are "Cancel" and "Next" buttons. The status bar shows the time as 12:17, with icons for signal strength, Wi-Fi, and a 22% battery level.

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   Simon Jaeger (simon@procrastodon.net)'s status on Tuesday, 24-Dec-2024 06:40:57 JST Simon Jaeger

   While we're calling out good #Accessibility from companies people love to hate, I just found this in the Google Home app when trying to set up a Google router. In the image, the WAN port is highlited, but someone has overwritten the VoiceOver label with the following text:

   The WAN and LAN ports are found on the bottom of your Google Wifi. Position the device upside down with the ports facing you. The WAN port is on the left and the LAN port is on the right.
   My only complaint is that the label wasn't clearly the alt text for an image. I almost posted the screenshot, thinking that text was visible to everyone. But if we describe the image instead of just describing the ports, that creates way more cognative load for blind users. Imagine a label like this: "Image of the bottom of the Google Router, with the ports facing the viewer. The left port is labeled "WAN" and highlighted." Then, I'd have to think about that alt text and contextualize it with the rest of the text. This is clearly a better experience. Interesting thought processes over at Google HQ.