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use document role for chat responses on windows/linux #236636

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@meganrogge meganrogge commented Dec 19, 2024

fix #228599

For mac, using document vs listitem would limit navigation flexibility, so we will stick with listitem.

Using document for windows/linux offers several advantages:

  • switches to browse/virtual cursor mode automatically
  • indicates to screen readers that the element is a primary content area, enabling document-based navigation (e.g., by headings, landmarks)
  • typically enhances the reading experience, especially for text-heavy content
  • reduces noise of "listitem" being announced

Some downsides:

  • removing listitem might reduce understanding of its context in the conversation hierarchy.
  • role=document may require users to switch out of reading mode to interact with buttons or links, adding friction.
  • for cross-platform users, the differing roles might be confusing due to inconsistent behavior

cc @jooyoungseo and @rperez030

@meganrogge meganrogge self-assigned this Dec 19, 2024
@meganrogge meganrogge added this to the January 2025 milestone Dec 19, 2024
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also cc @Tyriar in case you have any thoughts here

@jooyoungseo
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@meganrogge I think we need to test this PR with NVDA and JAWS to see if they behave as expected. I was wondering if users would still be able to navigate between next and previous responses in the Chat thread. Users may want to use Up/DownArrows to navigate through response items and hit Enter to trigger the "document" view. ESC to go back to the list view. This concept aligns with Outlook's mail preview list (Up/DownArrows) -> displaying full content (with Enter) -> going back to the preview list (via ESC).

@meganrogge meganrogge modified the milestones: February 2025, March 2025 Feb 24, 2025
@meganrogge meganrogge closed this Mar 4, 2025
@meganrogge meganrogge removed this from the March 2025 milestone Mar 4, 2025
@vs-code-engineering vs-code-engineering bot locked and limited conversation to collaborators Apr 18, 2025
@meganrogge meganrogge reopened this Apr 25, 2025
@meganrogge meganrogge added this to the May 2025 milestone Apr 25, 2025
@meganrogge meganrogge force-pushed the merogge/role-chat-item branch from 5ed63a4 to d782ad4 Compare April 25, 2025 20:13
@meganrogge meganrogge modified the milestones: May 2025, June 2025 May 16, 2025
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Consider how we might improve navigation to chat response content for screen reader users
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