[mediaqueries] prefers-reduced-motion prose leads readers to believe all animation should be stopped #5594
Description
In MQ5 prefers-reduced-motion, the prose no longer accurately describes the intention of the feature.
Specifically, the prose makes it seem like users want no animation at all. Nothing in our research of vestibular motion sensitivity for the native platform features led us to this conclusion, so I'd like to propose the following changes in the spec.
The prefers-reduced-motion media feature is used to detect if the user has requested the system minimize the amount of animation or motion it uses.
"The prefers-reduced-motion media feature is used to detect if the user has requested that the system minimize the amount of non-essential motion it uses."
- animation or motion
+ non-essential motionThe main reason for the this change is that "animation" includes a variety of non-motion variants (opacity dissolves, for example) that when used appropriately are not problematic for those with vestibular or attention issues.
Indicates that user has notified the system that they prefer an interface that minimizes the amount of movement or animation, preferably to the point where all non-essential movement is removed.
"Indicates that user has notified the system that they prefer an interface that removes or replaces the types of motion-based animation that trigger discomfort for those with vestibular motion disorders."
- minimizes the amount of movement or animation, preferably to the point where all non-essential movement is removed.
+ removes or replaces the types of motion-based animation that trigger discomfort for those with vestibular motion sensitivity.Note: I already made these changes to the PRM page on MDN.
The spec could also list or link to resources on the specific types of motion that are known to be problematic for vestibular motion sensitivity. Some of those were listed in the original PRM issue, and expanded upon in the WebKit post on prefers-reduced-motion.
If helpful, I can provide a PR on this issue.