Proposal: 2.23 Reduce the impact of downloadable and physical documents

[ehorrell]

NOT A PROPOSAL

Discussion to continue here on Github in comments with a due date of November 1, 2025.

Revised Guideline (Current)

2.23 Reduce the impact of downloadable and physical documents
Reduce the need for physical documents as much as possible by allowing the saving of well-labeled, optimized digital downloads and having a print style sheet.

Success Criterion: Printed documents
Design your process to reduce the need for paper documents. Where the production of paper documents is essential, it should be designed to have the lowest impact possible. Include a CSS print style sheet and test it with different types of content. Encourage saving documents in digital formats over paper-based storage and archiving.

Success Criterion: Optimized documents
Optimize and compress all downloadable documents. Make them available in a variety of accessible file formats.

Success Criterion: Optimized delivery
Avoid duplicating effort. If a document will be reused, generate and save it once on the server side for reuse, ideally on a cookie-free domain.

Success Criterion: Labels and choice
Display the document name, a summary, the file size, and the format prior to downloading. Allow users to choose the right format and language for their needs where possible. Avoid embedding documents directly; provide a link to download or view them within the browser instead.

Previous Guideline

2.23 Reduce the impact of downloadable or physical documents

Success Criterion: Printing documents
If the production of paper documents is essential, it should be designed to limit its impact to the lowest possible. Create a CSS Print stylesheet and test it with different types of content. Ensure PDF printing is encouraged over paper-based storage.

Success Criterion: Optimize documents
Provide all downloadable documents in a state of being optimized, compressed, and in a variety of accessible file formats.

Success Criterion: Optimize delivery
If a document is likely to be re-used, generate the document once on the server-side (preferably on a cookie-free domain) rather than forcing the effort to be duplicated.

Success Criterion: Labels and choice
Clearly display the document name, a summary, the file size, and the format, allowing the visitor a choice if possible of both the format, and the language (if not the same as the web page). Furthermore, be sure to avoid embedding the document within Web pages (provide a direct link to download or view within the browser instead).

Discussion points

Suggestion to add more detail (addressed in the revised guideline)

[systemstree]

We need to make the concept of what optimization of document involves clearer to readers. @codewordcreative, can we do something similar to what we did in #146 here?

[mgifford]

By "physical documents", we're talking printed paper documents, right? I do wonder if we might more explicitly suggest moving away from PDFs too. They are often bloated, usually inaccessible, and often encoded with proprietary junk. Also, not mobile friendly. Much better to remove most of them.

[codewordcreative]

@systemstree this would come under more standard code optimization (media optimization is a different, trickier beast, and there's a need to create ownership).

I feel the anti-PDF idea is already covered, "Design your process to reduce the need for paper documents"

[jenstrickland]

Notes: The current guideline and SC are below, with a small edit on Labels and choice SC, to remove unnecessary "the"s. We need to remember that we do not explicitly call out proprietary formats like PDFs in W3C documents.

📣 Please review and provide input using the reactions. 👍 if approval, 👎 if not, and be sure to provide comments before Dec. 3rd.

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Proposed Guideline: 2.23 Reduce the impact of downloadable and physical documents

Reduce the need for physical documents as much as possible by allowing the saving of well-labeled, optimized digital downloads and having a print style sheet.

Success Criterion: Printed documents

Design your process to reduce the need for paper documents. Where the production of paper documents is essential, it should be designed to have the lowest impact possible. Include a CSS print style sheet and test it with different types of content. Encourage saving documents in digital formats over paper-based storage and archiving.

Success Criterion: Optimized documents

Optimize and compress all downloadable documents. Make them available in a variety of accessible file formats.

Success Criterion: Optimized delivery

Avoid duplicating effort. If a document will be reused, generate and save it once on the server side for reuse, ideally on a cookie-free domain.

Success Criterion: Labels and choice

Display the document name, a summary, file size, and format prior to downloading. Allow users to choose the right format and language for their needs where possible. Avoid embedding documents directly; provide a link to download or view them within the browser instead.

[TzviyaSiegman]

This proposal represents no change to current version

[jenstrickland]

This proposal represents no change to current version

There's a possibility that members of the UXTF will review in the next 24 hours with feedback.

[jenstrickland]

Ready @TzviyaSiegman @AlexDawsonUK there is the small change removing the extra "the"s as noted.