PDF scanner feedback (start page)

[lukefretwell]

Reference: https://scangov.com/tools/pdf-site-review/

Default page

• change url to 'pdf-scanner'
• Page description: Check a domain's PDFs status (number of files, size, accessibility).
• Button text: Scan PDFs
• Add info text below form
• Add OG image (alt text: `ScanGov PDF scanner')

Info text:

## About PDFs

`PDF (Portable Document Format) is a file type created by Adobe in 1992. The format became an international standard in 2008.`

## Why PDFs are a problem

### Hard for people with disabilities to use

- Screen readers struggle to read PDFs correctly
- Text doesn't resize properly for people with low vision
- Navigation is confusing for keyboard-only users
- Many PDFs aren't tagged properly, making them impossible to access

### Bad for mobile phones

- PDFs don't adapt to small screens
- Users have to pinch and zoom constantly
- Downloads eat up data and storage space
- Opening requires extra apps or steps

### Difficult to search and find

- Search engines can't index PDF content as well as HTML
- Information gets buried in long documents
- No easy way to link to specific sections
- Users can't copy or share information easily

## Why HTML Is better

### Works for everyone

- Automatically adapts to any screen size
- Works with all assistive technologies
- Text resizes based on user preferences
- Easy to navigate with keyboard or mouse

### Faster and simpler

- Loads instantly in your browser
- No downloads or special software needed
- Works on any device right away
- Uses less data and storage

### More useful

- Easy to update and keep current
- Simple to search and share
- Can link directly to specific information
- Content shows up better in search results

## Government's goal

Government should use PDFs sparingly, if at all. This ensures everyone can access important information equally, regardless of their abilities or the device they're using.

**Key takeaway:** HTML pages are more accessible, easier to use, and work better for everyone compared to PDFs.

OG image:

[aaronhans]

Nice! I love all the content here.

So I can review to make sure i am not missing things in sitemaps could you give me the domains you were using for testing that weren't returning any pdfs? I know one was marincounty.gov

[lukefretwell]

Marincounty.gov
Hhs.gov
Digital.gov

[lukefretwell]

@aaronhans I didn't look at the sitemaps, but was mentioning the result. I documented just the start page UI issues and will address messaging related to 0 PDFs and sitemap after this issue is done. I think we can explain how we're scanning after the scan is done.

[aaronhans]

Suggestion for handling 0 pdfs found:

No pdfs were discovered when scanning all sitemaps at [domain]. If you want to scan a specific pdf for accessibility issues go to: /tools/pdf-analyzer/. If you want to have your domain crawled so that we discover pdfs not linked in a sitemap subscribe to scangov.com.