Skip to content

web → Web, "web site" → "website" #4490

New issue

Have a question about this project? Sign up for a free GitHub account to open an issue and contact its maintainers and the community.

Sign up for GitHub

By clicking “Sign up for GitHub”, you agree to our terms of service and privacy statement. We’ll occasionally send you account related emails.

Already on GitHub? Sign in to your account

Merged
merged 4 commits into from
Aug 25, 2025
Merged

web → Web, "web site" → "website" #4490

Show file tree
Hide file tree
Changes from all commits
Commits
Show all changes
4 commits
Select commit Hold shift + click to select a range
29783ff
web → Web
fstrr Jul 16, 2025
4b87ee1
Replace "web site" with "website" in consistent help understanding
patrickhlauke Jul 17, 2025
69ce2ba
Update understanding/22/accessible-authentication-minimum.html
patrickhlauke Jul 17, 2025
07ba023
Merge branch 'main' into fstrr-patch-2
mbgower Aug 25, 2025
File filter

Filter by extension

Filter by extension
Conversations
Failed to load comments.
Loading
Jump to
Jump to file
Failed to load files.
Loading
Diff view
Diff view
2 changes: 1 addition & 1 deletion understanding/22/accessible-authentication-minimum.html
View file
Open in desktop
Original file line number Diff line number Diff line change
Expand Up @@ -51,7 +51,7 @@ <h3>Cognitive Function Tests</h3>

<section id="auth-approaches">
<h3>Authentication Approaches</h3>
<p>web sites can employ username (or email) and password inputs as an authentication method if the author enables the user agent (browsers and third-party password managers) to fill in the fields automatically. Generally, if the login form meets <a href="identify-input-purpose">Success Criterion 1.3.5 Input Purpose</a>, and the form controls have an appropriate accessible name in accordance with <a href="name-role-value">Success Criterion 4.1.2 Name, Role, Value</a>, the user agent should be able to reliably recognize the fields and automatically fill them in. However, if the user agent is actively blocked from filling in the fields (for instance, by a script), then the page would not pass this criterion because it prevents the mechanism from working.</p>
<p>Websites can employ username (or email) and password inputs as an authentication method if the author enables the user agent (browsers and third-party password managers) to fill in the fields automatically. Generally, if the login form meets <a href="identify-input-purpose">Success Criterion 1.3.5 Input Purpose</a>, and the form controls have an appropriate accessible name in accordance with <a href="name-role-value">Success Criterion 4.1.2 Name, Role, Value</a>, the user agent should be able to reliably recognize the fields and automatically fill them in. However, if the user agent is actively blocked from filling in the fields (for instance, by a script), then the page would not pass this criterion because it prevents the mechanism from working.</p>
</section>

<section id="copy-paste">
Expand Down
56 changes: 26 additions & 30 deletions understanding/22/consistent-help.html
View file
Open in desktop
Original file line number Diff line number Diff line change
Expand Up @@ -6,18 +6,18 @@
<link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="../../css/editors.css" class="remove">
</head>
<body>
<h1>Understanding Consistent Help</h1>
<h1>Understanding Consistent Help</h1>

<section id="brief">
<section id="brief">
<h2>In brief</h2>
<dl>
<dt>Goal</dt><dd>Make it easier to find help and support.</dd>
<dt>What to do</dt><dd>Put help in the same place when it is on multiple pages.</dd>
<dt>Why it's important</dt><dd>People who need help can find it more easily if it's in the same place.</dd>
<dt>Goal</dt><dd>Make it easier to find help and support.</dd>
<dt>What to do</dt><dd>Put help in the same place when it is on multiple pages.</dd>
<dt>Why it's important</dt><dd>People who need help can find it more easily if it's in the same place.</dd>
</dl>
</section>
</section>

<section id="intent">
<section id="intent">

<h2>Intent of Consistent Help</h2>

Expand All @@ -29,7 +29,7 @@ <h2>Intent of Consistent Help</h2>

<p>If the help item is visually in a different location, but in the same serial order, that is not helpful from a user's point of view, but it would not fail this criterion.</p>

<p>When having problems completing a task on a website (or part of a web site, what we call a <a>set of web pages</a>), people with some types of disabilities may not be able to work through the issue without further help. Issues could include difficulty:
<p>When having problems completing a task on a website (or part of a website, what we call a <a>set of web pages</a>), people with some types of disabilities may not be able to work through the issue without further help. Issues could include difficulty:
completing a form, or finding a document or page which provides information required to complete a task.</p>

<p>Without help, some users may abandon the task. They may also fail to correctly complete a task, or they may require assistance from people who do not necessarily keep private information secure.</p>
Expand All @@ -43,12 +43,12 @@ <h3>Limitations and Exceptions</h3>

<p>It is also not the intent of this success criterion to require a human be available at all times. Ideally, if the human contact is not available during certain hours or certain days then information would be provided so the user can tell when it will be available. </p>

<p>This success criterion only requires help mechanisms to be consistent <em>within</em> a particular <a>set of web pages</a>. Some complex web sites consist of multiple different sets of web pages with different purposes. For example, a web-based spreadsheet application might have one set of pages for editing spreadsheets and a separate set of pages for marketing the application. This success criterion would allow the different sets of web pages to use different help mechanism locations. However, it is best if help mechanisms are located as consistently as possible even among different related sets of web pages.</p>
<p>This success criterion only requires help mechanisms to be consistent <em>within</em> a particular <a>set of web pages</a>. Some complex websites consist of multiple different sets of web pages with different purposes. For example, a web-based spreadsheet application might have one set of pages for editing spreadsheets and a separate set of pages for marketing the application. This success criterion would allow the different sets of web pages to use different help mechanism locations. However, it is best if help mechanisms are located as consistently as possible even among different related sets of web pages.</p>

<p>This success criterion contains an exception when "a change is initiated by the user." This exception is intended to cover cases where a user performs an action with the intent of changing the display or layout of a page, such as changing the zoom level, orientation, or viewport size. Help mechanism locations may change in response to such a user-initiated change; as the criterion's second note clarifies, "this criterion is concerned with relative order across pages displayed in the same page variation (e.g., same zoom level and orientation)."</p>

<p>This exception allows the location in a smaller viewport to be different than in a larger viewport. However, it is best if the mechanism or link is consistent across a set of web pages. A consistent location, both visually and programmatically, is the most usable.</p>

<p>This exception is <em>not</em> intended to treat every action that a user might initiate as a "change"; to qualify for the exception, the user must be initiating an action that would reasonably be expected to change the relative order of components within a page. For example, merely navigating between pages within a set of web pages is not a "change initiated by the user" for the purposes of this exception. Similarly, logging into or out of a page would not typically qualify, unless logging in would present the user with a distinct <a>set of web pages</a>.</p>
</section>

Expand All @@ -74,7 +74,7 @@ <h3>Support for people with cognitive and learning disabilities</h3>

<p>The human contact mechanism enables a person to express what they are looking for using their own words. For some with cognitive disabilities, this may be the best way for them to find an answer to their problem.</p>

<p>For pages for which no human support is available it helps if a self-help option says that no human support is available. Self-help options can go beyond allowing the user to search within the site. Contextual help is still recommended (see <a href="help">Success Criterion 3.3.5</a> for more information), but a self-help option provides a single location that makes it easier for people with cognitive disabilities to understand what help is available without having to hunt for it. While some people may easily be able to identify that no support would be available for a particular type of web site, this may not be apparent to some users with disabilities.</p>
<p>For pages for which no human support is available it helps if a self-help option says that no human support is available. Self-help options can go beyond allowing the user to search within the site. Contextual help is still recommended (see <a href="help">Success Criterion 3.3.5</a> for more information), but a self-help option provides a single location that makes it easier for people with cognitive disabilities to understand what help is available without having to hunt for it. While some people may easily be able to identify that no support would be available for a particular type of website, this may not be apparent to some users with disabilities.</p>

<p>Chatbots can work for many people, and particularly for people with cognitive disabilities if they:</p>

Expand All @@ -90,10 +90,10 @@ <h3>Support for people with cognitive and learning disabilities</h3>
<li>Users that experience cognitive fatigue or cognitive shut down will be able to reserve their energy for the task, instead of using it to find support.</li>
<li>Enabling users (especially those with cognitive disabilities) to find solutions while expressing their question using their own words (for example by interacting with a chatbot) increases their chances of success for completing a task.</li>
</ul>
<p>Self help methods beyond the site, such as using internet search to find the contact information for an organization, can be too difficult. Further, the user's disability may make it more difficult to find the help available (such as a "contact us" link, phone number, or support page) if the information is not consistently present within a few interactions (e.g., displayed in the header, or via a menu). In addition, for some users with disabilities, struggling to complete a task on a site may cause additional cognitive challenges when searching for help within the site.</p>
<p>When a user is quickly able to find help, they are able to complete the task even if they encounter challenges.</p>

<p>Self help methods beyond the site, such as using internet search to find the contact information for an organization, can be too difficult. Further, the user's disability may make it more difficult to find the help available (such as a "contact us" link, phone number, or support page) if the information is not consistently present within a few interactions (e.g., displayed in the header, or via a menu). In addition, for some users with disabilities, struggling to complete a task on a site may cause additional cognitive challenges when searching for help within the site.</p>

<p>When a user is quickly able to find help, they are able to complete the task even if they encounter challenges.</p>
</section>
</section>

Expand All @@ -103,7 +103,7 @@ <h2>Benefits of Consistent Help</h2>
<ul>
<li>People who may have difficulty locating help are more likely to find it when it is consistently located.</li>
</ul>


</section>

Expand All @@ -113,7 +113,7 @@ <h2>Examples of Consistent Help</h2>
<ul>
<li>On-line job application: Some of the application questions may be hard for new job seekers to understand even after reading the contextual help. For example, the form may request their identification number, but they may have several and not know which one to enter. Consistently located contact information will enable them to use phone or email so they can get an answer to their question.</li>
<li>Medical appointment scheduling form: When the service a patient is trying to book is not easily findable within the interface, they may need human help. A consistently located messaging option (chat client) enables them to quickly interact with a staff person that can help, without requiring them to manage a second interface.</li>
<li>Finding a specific policy or procedure: An employee who needs to complete a work task may have difficulty locating the specific policy or procedure document on their employer's web site. A consistently located "How Do I" page may include the information that enables them to independently complete this task.</li>
<li>Finding a specific policy or procedure: An employee who needs to complete a work task may have difficulty locating the specific policy or procedure document on their employer's website. A consistently located "How Do I" page may include the information that enables them to independently complete this task.</li>
</ul>

</section>
Expand Down Expand Up @@ -144,20 +144,16 @@ <h3>Failures for Consistent Help</h3>
</ul>
</section>
</section>

<section id="resources">
<h2>Resources</h2>

<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.w3.org/TR/coga-gap-analysis/#table6">Cognitive Accessibility Gap Analysis Topic 6: Familiar Interface</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.w3.org/TR/coga-usable/#make-it-easy-to-find-help-and-give-feedback-pattern">Making Content Usable for People with Cogntive and Learning Disabilities 4.8.5 Make it Easy to Find Help and Give Feedback</a></li>
</ul>

</section>

</body>
</html>
<section id="resources">
<h2>Resources</h2>

<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.w3.org/TR/coga-gap-analysis/#table6">Cognitive Accessibility Gap Analysis Topic 6: Familiar Interface</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.w3.org/TR/coga-usable/#make-it-easy-to-find-help-and-give-feedback-pattern">Making Content Usable for People with Cogntive and Learning Disabilities 4.8.5 Make it Easy to Find Help and Give Feedback</a></li>
</ul>

</section>


</body>
</html>