Help

SC Shortname: Help

SC Text

Current:
3.3.5 Help: Context-sensitive help is available. (Level AAA)

Proposed:
3.3.5 Help: @@Content and information is provided that helps users understand complex information, long documents, numerical information, relative and cardinal directions (North, South, East, and West), forms and non-standard controls. Where an understanding of mathematics is not a primary requirement for using this content, reinforce numbers with non-numerical values.@@

Suggestion for Priority Level

AA

Related Glossary additions or changes

Cardinal Directions:
Points of the Compass (North, South, East and West)

Long Documents:
300 words or more

Complex Information:
Something with at least 3 parts where at least 2 of those parts interact with each other in multiple ways.

What Principle and Guideline the SC falls within.

Principle 3, Guideline 3.3 - Input Assistance

Description

The use of complex information, long documents and data in a particular format and the use of non-standard controls in Web forms can present significant barriers to users with cognitive accessibility needs. The intent of this Success Criterion is to ensure that navigation, operability and the ability to complete tasks associated with a website is fully understandable and accessible to people with cognitive accessibility needs through the provision of context sensitive help, tooltips and explanation of jargon. For example:

• A user with dyscalculia may have difficulty processing temperature data when presented only in a numeric format. However if non-numeric alternatives are provided (cold, warm, hot etc.) then the likelihood that they will have no issue in processing the data is high.
• Promoting clarity when complex information is presented by providing a summary or keywords will make the information more accessible to all users, especially users with cognitive accessibility needs.
• People who find reading or language difficult can be helped by a chart or graph.
• People who do not know their left from right will be able to use navigation systems.

The main reason for the upgrade in the conformance level is to ensure that user needs are consistently addressed across the different disabilities.

Note that graphics should be clear and it should be easy to identify meaning and context. The ability to "read between the lines"; of a text, graphic, or lecture may seem obvious to many users without cognitive accessibility needs but it may create barriers for people with autism, who may not be able to readily discern the intended relevance of graphical data.

Further use aria-describedby to associate the graphic or sections of a graphic or chart and the text that describes it can be read by a screen reader while the right section of the chart is highlighted.

Benefits

The benefit to users with cognitive accessibility needs is that the information in the help is presented in a way that it is understandable and therefore supports the user in accessing the information or service which would otherwise be too complex for them to consume. This Success Criterion addresses two broad classes of issues associated with this type of information:

• If the user perceives the activity to be too complex the user may decide to abandon the activity and therefore be excluded from the information and/or services derived from the completion of the activity.
• If the activity relies on the comprehension of complex information, long documents, data in a particular format or non-standard controls then the likelihood of errors being made during the activity increases, particularly for users with cognitive accessibility needs.

While providing clarity and accessibility is of benefit to all users it is of particular benefit to a wide range of users with differing cognitive accessibility needs including users with:

• Language related disabilities
• Memory related disabilities
• Disabilities that effect executive function and decision making
• Focus and attention related disabilities

Providing comprehensive help not only benefits users with diverse cognitive accessibility needs but also benefits any user who is unfamiliar with the material and therefore the benefits are not restricted to a relatively small subset of users.

The user needs are more fully described in the User needs Table.

Please review the following user needs table

• Table 3: Entering data, error prevention & recovery
• Table 4: Help and support
• Table 7: Clear and understandable content and text
• Table 9: Navigation and GPS

Also see our Background research document

Related Resources

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

“Accommodating-ASD-In-STEM.pdf”. Nathan W . Moon, PhD Robert L. T odd, M S David L. Morton, PhD Emily Ivey, M S (You can download it from John's Dropbox account at http://bit.ly/18wev76.)

See http://www.bdadyslexia.org.uk/about-dyslexia/further-information/dyslexia-style-guide.html

Garrett, K. L., Beukelman, D. R., & Low-Morrow, D. (1989). A comprehensive augmentative communication system for an adult with Broca's aphasia. Augmentative & Alternative Communication, 5(1), 55.

Top Five Instructional Tips for Students with Down syndrome" http://specialedpost.org/2013/01/31/top-five-instructional-strategies-for-students-with-down-syndrome/

"Down syndrome and Learning" http://inclusive.tki.org.nz/guides/down-syndrome-and-learning/

Phiriyapkanon. Is big button interface enough for elderly users, P34, Malardardalen University Press Sweden 2011

Neilson Norman Group article: Pop-ups and Adaptive Help Get a Refresh by Katie Sherwin on March 15, 2015 - http://www.nngroup.com/articles/pop-up-adaptive-help/. Present help content in a small modeless overlay window. Provide a link to more detailed information if available. Alow user to minimize, resize and move the window. What about small screens?

Testability

This Success Criterion can be tested manually.

Test Procedure

• Identify by inspection:
  • complex information,
  • long documents,
  • numerical information,
  • relative and cardinal directions (North, South, East, and West),
  • forms (except for simple search forms)
  • and non-standard controls
• For each of the above conform that a sufficient technique has been used to supply additional support

Techniques

Sufficient techniques for icons and jargon

Ensure one of the following techniques are used:

• All icons and jargon have a short explanation available. (Where a standard mechanism exists for the platform or technologies it should be used. (COGA Techniques 2.7)
• Using COGA semantics to supply a short explanation for icons or jargon
• Short tooltips on all icons and jargon that clarify the meaning are provided.
• WCAG 2.0 Technique G62: Providing a glossary.

Sufficient techniques for content relating to numbers and complex information. (use whichever apply)

• Charts or graphics are provided where they aid the comprehension of complex information. (COGA Techniques 2.7.3)
• Tables are provided where they aid the comprehension of information.
• Where an understanding of mathematics is not a primary requirement for using this content use one of the following:
  • Reinforce numbers with non-numerical concepts, e.g., Very Cold, Cold, Cool, Mild, Warm, Hot, Very Hot
  • Using COGA semantics to supply a non-numerical concepts
• For content with sections use one of the following:
• Using enable semantics to add symbols to sections
• Adding symbols as an addition to headings, key short sentences and phrases to aid understanding.
  However as some people have difficulty remembering symbols, use text with the symbol.
  • Use clear symbols that can easily be seen and expanded
  • Use images understood by different users
  • In left to right languages place the image to the left of the text

   

Sufficient techniques for content with more than 300 words

• WCAG 2.0 Technique G86: Providing a text summary that can be understood by people with lower secondary education level reading ability. For pieces of content with less than 300 words the heading may act as a summary.
• Semantic headings are used to break the information down into a more manageable size and provide structure to the information being presented. This particularly benefits users of Assistive Technology.
• The content owner identifies at least two keywords that aid comprehension for the user and these keywords are programmatic determinable and emphasized in the modality of the user.
• Using COGA semantics to identify keywords
• Using COGA semantics to supply a summary
• Using a plugin to supply a summary
  

Sufficient techniques for forms

• Using a standard mechanism for the platform or technologies exists for context sensitive help
• Using COGA semantics for context sensitive help
• Semantic headings are used to provide a logical structure to a form adding both the understanding of the form layout and the information required. This will also benefit users of Assistive Technology.

Sufficient techniques for non-standard controls

• Clear and non-ambiguous instructions should be available for non-standard controls.
• Using COGA semantics for instructions should be available for non-standard controls

For relative and cardinal directions (North, South, East, and West),

• Using a standard mechanism for the platform or technologies exists for personalization of relative and cardinal directions and terms
• Providing alternative terms relative and cardinal directions (North, South, East, and West) where personalization is not supported

For key content and call out boxes (this might belong to another SC)

• Consistent cues are provided that identifies different content types and the status of elements and regions that help the user understand its role or state.
• Provide symbols that help the user identify key content including:
• types of contact information
• types of help
• types of  functions
• warnings
• key points
• errors
• system messages
• notes
• definitions
• more information
• tables of content and site maps
• file types
• search
• required information
• errors
• opinions
• essential information
• types of transaction and type of reminder
• instructions and status of an element
• invalid fields
• non-native
• content and sponsored content are clearly marked and visually differentiated by standardized techniques

Failure Technique: Adding a star next to key content as that does not help the user to understand the context of the key content.

Working groups notes (optional)

This is the short name for the SC (e.g. "Non-text Content" is the short name for SC 1.1.1 in WCAG 2.0)

Test Procedure was changed. original was:

• Ensure by inspection that each area of an input section that relies on long documents, complex information or data in a particular format has specifically associated help provided. If nine out of ten people who have not seen the content before consider the content to fall under the types of content covered by this Success Criterion then the provision of specific help is required.
• Ensure that any specific help provided is both clear and unambiguous. If nine out of ten people who have not seen the content before consider the content to be both clear and unambiguous then the Success Criterion can be considered to have been met.
• Ensure that the method of accessing any specific help is obvious to all users, regardless of their mode of accessing the content