SC Shortname: Manageable blocks

SC Text

Important information is provided in manageable blocks.

For text:

• a single point per paragraph: a paragraph consists of one or more sentences about a single point.
• short sentences: Sentences have a maximum of one conjunction and two commas. A sentence must consist of a single idea. Exception: Where usability testing has found a longer sentence to be clearer or easier to understand.
• appropriately-used lists : When there are three or more consecutive items that could be considered a list, a list is used.

Audio or visual media are divided into programmatically-determinable and logical sequences.

Media segments should be:

• six minutes or fewer: Media must be divided into segments that are 6 minutes or fewer in duration.
• programmatically-determinable and logical: Media must be presented in a programmatically-determinable and logical order.
• navigable: Navigation to each segment, and a unique, descriptive label must be provided for each media segment.

Exception - There are exceptions where:

• the content will be penalized for not conforming to a given style (such as a dissertation or a Ph.D. proposal);
• a different structure is an essential part of the main function of the site (for example, a game or a reading test);
• if the style is an essential part of the main function of the site, such as a literary work;
• the style items may be replaced for a location or a type of content where user testing has shown a more effective style to aid comprehension for people with cognitive disabilities (for example, content written in a specific language).

 

Suggestion for Priority: Level (AA)

Related Glossary additions or changes

Manageable blocks of information:

content that is split or chunked into small sections or pieces. For example, small pieces of related informational content.

Important information:

1. information the user may need to complete any action or task including an offline task; and/or
2. information the user may need to know related to safety, risks, privacy, health, or opportunities.

Usability testing

Usability testing with a user group of at least five people with cognitive and/or learning disabilities; and with at least three different learning and cognitive disabilities. Note that coga are writing an issue paper on user testing so that this will be further explained and clarified

 

What Principle and Guideline the SC falls within.

Under Guideline 3.1 with small changes

Current

Guideline 3.1: Make text content readable and understandable.

Proposal

Guideline 3.1: Make content readable and understandable.

Description

The intent of this success criterion is to split information into manageable blocks to reduce cognitive load, and to aid working memory for all users. It enables content to be presented in smaller, cohesive sections focusing on one point. Readable content has short paragraphs and sentences with a single focus; whilst time- based and synchronized media have navigable short sections.

Benefits

Chunking content, whether it is visual or auditory, supports those with working memory deficits, such as those with learning disabilities and brain injury. The breaking down of content into small sections, whether it is developed as audio or video output; mathematical symbols; or a paragraph of text; improves levels of comprehension.

References for evidence of the benefits include:

• Evmenova, Anna S., and Michael M. Behrmann. "Research-Based Strategies for Teaching Content to Students with Intellectual Disabilities: Adapted Videos." Education and Training in Autism and Developmental Disabilities 46.3 (2011): 315-25. Web. 
• Hock, M. and Mellard, D. (2005), Reading Comprehension Strategies for Adult Literacy Outcomes. Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, 49: 192-200. 
• Zhang, D., Ding, Y., Stegall, J. and Mo, L. (2012), The Effect of Visual-Chunking-Representation Accommodation on Geometry Testing for Students with Math Disabilities. Learning Disabilities Research & Practice, 27: 167- 177. doi:10.1111/j.1540-5826.2012.00364.x .

 

Splitting information into manageable blocks assists:

• the increasing population who are over 60 (20% in the Northern Hemisphere by 2030) and many people with cognitive impairments, including language and learning disabilities. More than half of people over 60 years old have some form of memory impairment, including mild cognitive impairment and age-associated memory impairment (AAMI).
• working memory and retention of content. Research indicates 50% of people surfing web pages spend fewer than 12 seconds on a page; and 17% between 2 and 4 seconds.
• those with reduced attention spans, and enables information to be understood more easily. Research indicates the average attention span in 2015 was 8.25 seconds.

A real world example is someone with Dyslexia working with a task force member.

"If I am faced with a long paragraph with sub clauses, I will copy it out and put in line breaks where I find a new keyword or point.  If I chunk the text, it is easier to follow each concept. Otherwise, it is just a wash of words and I lose track of which part I am meant to be concentrating on. When there are no line breaks and I have to scroll across, I forget what is at the beginning of the line".   Adult with Dyslexia.

Note that reading takes full cognitive function for many people, making remembering what was written at the same time much harder.

 

 

Related Resources

Resources are for information purposes only. No endorsement is intended or implied.

• Working Memory and Cognitive Load .
• Global Aging: The Challenge of Success
• Weinreich, H., Obendorf, H., Herder, E., and Mayer, M. 2008. Not quite the average: An empirical study of Web use. ACM Trans. Web, 2, 1, Article 5 (February 2008), 31 pages. DOI = 10.1145/1326561.1326566.
• Statistics Brain: Attention Span Statistics.
• Segmenting video (Philip Guo, Assistant Professor of Cognitive Science, UC San Diego, et. al. 2014).
• Optimal video length is 6 minutes or shorter (Analysis by Philip Guo, Assistant Professor of Cognitive Science, UC San Diego)

Testability

Identify the relevant standard techniques. Ensure content conforms to those standards, where they can be used for testing, such that information is provided in manageable blocks.

For text:

• a single point per paragraph: A paragraph should consist of one or more sentences that deal with a single point.

Possible test: Identify a keyword, or point, or topic sentence (a sentence that expresses the main idea of the paragraph in which it occurs). Confirm that each sentence relates directly to that keyword, point, or topic sentence. (Keywords can be identified in the mark up with COGA semantics at a later stage.)

• Short sentences: Sentences have a maximum of one conjunction and two commas. A sentence should consist of a single idea. Exception: Where usability testing has found a longer sentence to be clearer or easier to understand.

Possible test: This should be easy to test for, as one can count the numbers of conjunctions and commas. It is assumed that, by the time this success criterion becomes adopted, automated tools will identify nonconforming sentences for the author. (This could be an algorithm using regular expressions.)

• Lists are used appropriately: When there are three or more consecutive items that could be considered a list, a list is used.

Possible test: An algorithm could identify sentences with 3 commas or colons (like this one....); keywords such as "such as:", "for the following reasons", or "step 1"; sentences with bullet points (such as a, b, c); etc.

For a paragraph with four or more sentences, it should be confirmed that there are not three or more list items. (The first sentence may be the context, and the next three may be list items.)

Three or more consecutive paragraphs do not have to be checked as list items because they should be made up of separate points.

 

For audio or visual media

Media are divided into programmatically-determinable and logical sequences. Media segments should be:

• six minutes or fewer: Media should be divided into segments that are 6 minutes or fewer in duration.
• programmatically-determinable and logical: Media should be presented in a programmatically-determinable and logical order.
• navigable: Navigation to each segment, and a unique descriptive label, are provided for each media segment.

This is testable by timing/identifing the gap between programmatically-determinable and logical ; and navigation to chunks that have unique descriptive labels. If a gap is over 6 minutes, it does not conform.

This is testable by:

• Timing each segment. Confirm that each media segment is 6 minutes, or under
• Confirming segments have unique descriptive labels
• Confirming each segment can be navigatable to
• Confirm that the segments can be programmatically determinable and are in a logical order

Detemining how to ensure it is logical and navigable, or unique and descriptive, is described in other WCAG tests. (Will add if needed.)

Techniques

Techniques include:

• breaking information into manageable blocks. (COGA Techniques 2.1.1) (for text see WCAG Guideline 3.1.5? (WCAG G153: Making the text easier to read) ;
• providing content that is clear and to the point. (COGA Techniques 2.3.1), (WCAG G153: Making the text easier to read) ;
• using lists where three or more consecutive items are presented in a paragraph or a sentence;
• making manageable blocks of information and relationships programmatically determinable. (Also see WCAG 1.3.1 Info and Relationships);
• making each media section navigable to, and provided with, a unique label that describes the section; and
• ensuring media over five minutes are divided into programmatically determinable and logical sections.

Common Failures for Success Criterion:

A sentence with multiple clauses, which could be tagged as a list, but is not.

A paragraph with multiple points.

A long video not broken into programmatically-determinable chucks of fewer than 6 minutes.

A long video broken into programmatically-determinable chucks, but without a unique descriptive label on each chunk.