Amazon Lite... Not So Good
from the oh-well,-nice-try dept
Some people will never be satisfied. Two weeks ago we wrote about the "Lite" version of Amazon's site which is designed to be used by people with impaired vision using browser reader software. The simple site was apparently designed to make it easier for those readers to interpret the page and read it quickly. As I said at the time, I like it - and think it's useful for just anyone, since it's much faster than Amazon. However, not everyone agrees. Many experts are screaming mad at Amazon saying that (1) the site obviously wasn't designed for the visually impaired since it doesn't include the most basic things like alternative text for images (2) it looks more like a site they designed for a wireless device instead of a software reader and (3) a good website should be designed to have it's regular site work well with software readers anyway. I still don't see what the big deal is. The alt text problem is easily fixed, and I think it's good that at least Amazon is offering this as an option. Some people just enjoy complaining too much.
Thank you for reading this Techdirt post. With so many things competing for everyone’s attention these days, we really appreciate you giving us your time. We work hard every day to put quality content out there for our community.
Techdirt is one of the few remaining truly independent media outlets. We do not have a giant corporation behind us, and we rely heavily on our community to support us, in an age when advertisers are increasingly uninterested in sponsoring small, independent sites — especially a site like ours that is unwilling to pull punches in its reporting and analysis.
While other websites have resorted to paywalls, registration requirements, and increasingly annoying/intrusive advertising, we have always kept Techdirt open and available to anyone. But in order to continue doing so, we need your support. We offer a variety of ways for our readers to support us, from direct donations to special subscriptions and cool merchandise — and every little bit helps. Thank you.
–The Techdirt Team
