W3C Standards

W3C Standards These standards are relevant guidelines for all projects. They ensure accessibility, interoperability, inclusivity, and sustainability across platforms. Not every project will apply all of them, but each team should consider the relevance of each.

1. Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 AA – RELEVANT

• Provide text alternatives for non-text content.

Addressed in requirement 2.5.2.3 - Critical navigation elements (homepage, profile, settings icons) will include descriptive alt text. Chart and visualization elements covered in 1.6.2.2 with alt text for context.

• Ensure sufficient color contrast and scalable text.

Addressed in requirement 2.5.2.7 - Text will be scalable up to 200%. Color contrast maintained through existing UI design guidelines, with attention to bright green/white combinations in current palette.

• Support full keyboard navigation.

Addressed in requirements 2.5.2.4 and 2.5.2.5 - All interactive elements (waste logging, challenge creation, goal setting, leaderboards, navigation) will be accessible via keyboard with visible focus indicators.

• Follow consistent and predictable navigation patterns.

Addressed in requirement 2.5.2.6 - Navigation patterns will remain consistent across all features (dashboard, challenges, tips, leaderboard, profile) to ensure predictability.

• Ensure compatibility with assistive technologies.

Partially addressed through requirements 2.5.2.3, 2.5.2.4, and 2.5.2.7 - Basic compatibility through proper HTML semantics, alt text for navigation, and keyboard support.

2. Activity Streams 2.0 – RELEVANT

• Represent user activities in a standardized format.

Addressed in requirements 1.7.6.1 and 1.7.6.2 - User activities (waste logging, challenges, achievements, badge earnings) will be stored in a structured format with standard fields: activity type, timestamp, actor, object, and result. This enables consistent data representation and future interoperability without requiring immediate JSON-LD implementation.

• Enable interoperability and data portability.

Addressed in requirements 2.2.2.5 and 2.2.2.6 (enhanced 2.2.2.3) - Users can export their complete activity data (waste logs, challenges, achievements) in machine-readable format (JSON or CSV) within 48 hours. This satisfies both Activity Streams principles and GDPR/KVKK data portability requirements.

• Support social engagement through activity feeds, sharing, and reactions.

Addressed in requirements 1.6.4.1 - Community-wide statistics and milestones are displayed to encourage engagement (challenge participation counts, daily waste totals, community achievements).

3. Web of Things (WoT) Thing Description – RELEVANT WHERE APPLICABLE

• Use consistent device descriptions for IoT integration.
• Ensure smart devices interoperate across systems.
• Support event-based interactions (e.g., alerts, triggers).

We do not have any features related to WoT technologies, therefore these are not related for our project.

4. Internationalization (i18n) Standards – RELEVANT

• Use standard language tags (BCP 47).

Current single-language implementation does not require language tagging.

• Support both left-to-right and right-to-left scripts.

Addressed in requirements 1.7.3.3 and 1.7.3.4 - Text input fields (waste descriptions, challenge descriptions, tips, user bios) will support both LTR and RTL text entry with automatic direction detection. This future-proofs the platform for potential Arabic, Hebrew, or other RTL language support without requiring immediate multi-language implementation.

• Apply locale-appropriate formats for dates, numbers, and currencies.

Addressed in new requirement 1.7.3.5 - Date formats will adapt to user location (DD/MM/YYYY vs MM/DD/YYYY vs YYYY-MM-DD). Decimal formatting in waste logging and number displays will follow locale conventions (comma vs. point separators).