cliff's picture

Posted by cliff on July 3, 2011 at 9:59pm

I've been asked to edit the Standard Issue Tags for Drupal core page to correct its characterization of accessibility issues, and, as usual, the editorial eye found more needing to be fixed than it was asked to review.

Specifically in this case, there are cases in which two issue tags are difficult to distinguish from each other. "Accessibility" and "needs accessibility review" is one such instance. Another is "usability" and "needs usability review." The definitions given for these terms don't help clear things up, either.

Before I make sweeping changes, I would like to get feedback from folks who are familiar with the issue queue about a role- and intent-based approach for telling who should — or, sometimes, who may — use any particular tag.

Here's the idea. Some of these tags are a way for the person proposing a change to say, "This is my intent." Others tend to be useful for a person who is reviewing the proposed change. In other words, these other tags are a way of saying, "Hey, one of us needs to check this, too." So I would like to group these tags accordingly:

Tags to Consider When You Post an Issue

When you post an issue affecting Drupal core, tag it with any of the following tags that fit. You may apply more than one tag to the issue.

Accessibility

the proposed change is intended to improve the accessibility of a feature. To improve accessibility, you must make the feature easier — or in some cases possible — for a person with impaired vision, hearing, mobility, or cognitive abilities to perceive, operate, or understand.

API addition

[definition here]

API change

[definition here]

[various others]

[definition here]

Performance

[definition here]

Usability

[definition here]

You may also apply any of the tags that we typically expect a reviewer to think of. For example, perhaps you are afraid that a change that you intend to improve performance might impair usability. Don't tag it with "Usability"; instead, choose "Needs usability review."

Tags to Consider When You Review an Issue

First review the list of tags that we hope the person posting the issue will have added. If they missed one that you think fits, add that tag to the issue. Then consider each of the following points and tag the issue with any of these tags that seem appropriate.

[Tag beginning with a through m]

[definition here]

Needs accessibility review

the proposed change might impair the accessibility of a feature. To impair accessibility is to make the feature more difficult — or perhaps even impossible — for a person with impaired vision, hearing, mobility, or cognitive abilities to perceive, operate, or understand.

Needs benchmarks

[definition here]

Needs usability review

[definition here]

[Tag beginning with o through z]

[definition here]

Tags to Consider If Your Name Is "Dries Buytaert"

If your name is not "Dries Buytaert," then please don't even think of adding this tag.

Favorite-of-Dries

[meaningful definition]

My question for people who have used the issue queue is whether this seems reasonable based upon the typical ways these tags have been used — or, perhaps, based on the way these tags could best or should be used.

If you know, please fill me in. Or if you know a better way for me to get that feedback, please let me know how to do so.

This group offers an RSS feed. Or subscribe to these personalized, sitewide feeds: