Adequate Time and Adjust Timing
- Christina Lutz-Hatfield
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Table of Contents
Overview
Provide users enough time to read and use content.
Many users who have disabilities need more time to complete tasks than the majority of users: they may take longer to physically respond, they may take longer to read things, they may have low vision and take longer to find things or to read them, or they may be accessing content through an assistive technology that requires more time.
This guideline focuses on ensuring that users are able to complete the tasks required by the content with their own individual response times.
The primary approaches deal with eliminating time constraints or providing users enough additional time to allow them to complete their tasks. Exceptions are provided for those cases where this is not possible.
Provide Users with Adequate Time to Complete Tasks and Adjust Timing
People with disabilities may need more time to complete activities.
Users should have adequate time to complete and submit forms.
Allow users to turn off, adjust, or extend any time limits.
For each time limit that is set by the content, at least one of the following should apply:
Turn off
The user is allowed to turn off the time limit before encountering it; or
Adjust
The user is allowed to adjust the time limit before encountering it over a wide range that is at least ten times the length of the default setting; or
Extend
The user is warned before time expires and given at least 20 seconds to extend the time limit with a simple action (for example, "press the space bar"), and the user is allowed to extend the time limit at least ten times; or
Real-time Exception
The time limit is a required part of a real-time event (for example, an auction), and no alternative to the time limit is possible; or
Essential Exception
The time limit is essential and extending it would invalidate the activity; or
20 Hour Exception
The time limit is longer than 20 hours.
Please see more detailed information on how to comply with this standard.
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