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updates to timeouts understanding doc #925

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50dd439
updates to timeouts understanding doc
awkawk May 16, 2018
b690ee2
updates based on David's and Mike G's comments
awkawk May 18, 2018
42f186a
minor changes from call on 5/22/18
awkawk May 22, 2018
955292e
adding in sentence to clarify relationship to 2.2.1
awkawk May 22, 2018
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49 changes: 21 additions & 28 deletions understanding/21/timeouts.html
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<h1>Understanding Timeouts</h1> <h1>Understanding Timeouts</h1>
<section id="intent"> <section id="intent">
<h2>Intent</h2> <h2>Intent</h2>
<p>The use of timed events can present significant barriers for users with cognitive disabilities, as these users may require more time to read content or to perform functions, such as completing an online form.</p> <p>The intent of this Success Criterion is to ensure that when a timeout is used, users know what duration of inactivity will cause the page to time out and result in lost data. The use of timed events can present significant barriers for users with cognitive disabilities, as these users may require more time to read content or to perform functions, such as completing an online form.</p>
<p>During the completion of an online process for reserving a hotel room and purchasing a plane ticket, a user with a cognitive impairment may become overwhelmed with the amount of instruction and data input required to complete the process. The user may not be able to complete the process in one sitting, and may need to take a break. Ideally, users should be able to leave a process without losing their current place within the process, and without losing data that have already been entered. If users cannot take a break and check their work, many will often be unable to complete a task correctly.</p> <p>During the completion of an online process, such as to reserve a hotel room or purchase a plane ticket, a user with a cognitive impairment may become overwhelmed with lengthy instructions and data input required to complete the process. The user may not be able to complete the process in one sitting and may need to take a break. Users should be able to leave a process without losing their current place within the process, and without losing information that has already been entered. If users cannot take a break and check their work, many will often be unable to complete a task correctly.</p>
<p>When the user cannot finish the task in the time allotted, not only does the site become unusable but they lose confidence in using the web and question if they are able to use technology independently. Losing your work because you are not fast enough is incredibly frustrating. When this happens multiple times, the user may give up on trying to perform tasks online.</p> <p>This Success Criterion works in tandem with Success Criterion 2.2.1 Timing Adjustable, but is specifically focused on notification of timeouts related to user inactivity.</p>
<p>For situations where the absence of a timed event would significantly change the intended functionality of an application (e.g., an auction or another real-time event), it is important to ensure that users with disabilities are properly notified. Notifications should include information about timed events, and an indication of the duration of the time given. As well, they should include mechanisms clearly labeled to adjust, extend, or stop the duration of an event, to allow users to fully engage and interact with Web content and functionality. For example, if an e-commerce Web site's checkout process provides secure credit card transactions, the user is notified of the timeout, and is given time to extend it.</p> <p>The best way to conform to this success criteria is to keep the user data for at least 20 hours. This enables the user with disabilities and the aging community to start and finish a task, taking breaks as needed. However, when it is not practical to save the user data the author must warn the user about the duration of inactivity which will result in a timeout. Timeouts should be displayed to the user once at the beginning of the related task or process and not at each step.</p>
<p>When there is a chance to extend a time limit, it should be noted that many users, within 20 seconds, cannot read instructions to extend a time limit.  Using simple text can reduce the time it takes to read these instructions.</p> <p>This success criterion only applies to timeouts that are within the content provider's knowledge or control. For example, if the user closes a web browser or device and loses content in an open page that has not yet been submitted, the success criteria has not been violated.</p>
<p>The best way to conform to the success criteria is to keep the user data for at least 20 hours. This enables the user with disabilities and the aging community to start and finish a task, taking brakes as needed.
</p><p>However when it is not reasonable to save the user data the author must, at a minimum, warn the user about any timeouts before they start a task that they may not be able to complete.
</p><p>Timeouts should be displayed to the user once at the beginning of that task/process and not at each step.
</p>
<p>Ways that this success criteria can be met include: Saving the saving the users data (such as by storing the session variable data) giving the user a warning at the start of the process about any expected timeouts, or avoiding timeouts altogether. </p>
<p>This success criterion only applies to timeouts that are within the content providers knowledge or control. For example, if the user closes a web browser or device, and looses content in an open page that has not yet been submitted, the success criteria has not been violated.</p>


</section> </section>
<section id="benefits"> <section id="benefits">
<h2>Benefits</h2> <h2>Benefits</h2>
<p>This Success Criterion helps users who need additional time performing tasks or reading content. </p> <p>This Success Criterion helps users by ensuring they are notified about timeouts related to inactivity.</p>
<p>A user can take a break and check their work without needing to start again. This enables many users to complete tasks online that they otherwise could not do. </p> <p>When a user knows how much time they are allowed for a task, they will know whether they can take a needed break and resume their work without needing to start again. This enables many users to complete tasks online that they otherwise could not do. If a situation exists where a timeout is necessary, the user is warned at the start of the task about the length of inactivity that would generate a timeout. The user can then decide if they can manage this task or not in the given time, or if they need to prepare materials in advance of starting a process. This will reduce the frustration of losing work due to a timeout.</p>
<p>If a situation exists where a timeout is necessary, the user is warned at the start of the task about the length of inactivity that would generate a timeout. The user  can then decide if they can manage this task or not in the given time. This will  reduce the frustration of working hard at a task just to have all their work deleted due to a timeout.</p>


<p>This Success Criterion helps people with many different cognitive disabilities, including people with:</p> <p>This Success Criterion helps people with many different cognitive disabilities, including people with:</p>
<ul> <ul>
<li> language-related disabilities; </li> <li>language-related disabilities; </li>
<li> memory-related disabilities; </li> <li>memory-related disabilities; </li>
<li> focus-and-attention-related disabilities; and </li> <li>focus-and-attention-related disabilities; and </li>
<li> disabilities that affect executive function and decision making. </li> <li>disabilities that affect executive function and decision making. </li>
</ul> </ul>
</section> </section>
<section id="examples"> <section id="examples">
<h2>Examples</h2> <h2>Examples</h2>
<ul> <ul>
<li>While making a purchase on an e-commerce Web site, a user with a cognitive disability may not remember required information (e.g., a phone number or a zip code) that may seem easy to remember for users without a cognitive impairment. </li> <li>While making a purchase on an e-commerce Web site, the information input by the user is stored for more than 20 hours. This helps ensure that if they need to stop working for a while that they are more likely to be able to continue the purchase when they return.</li>
<li>Users with cognitive disabilities may need additional time to look up the information required to complete a transaction, without losing their place in the process, and without losing data that have already been entered.</li> <li>A web application allowing people to file tax returns provides a notice that the application will time out for security purposes. The notice indicates that a lack of activity for a continuous period of time that is greater than an hour will trigger initiate the time out process.</li>
<li>Users’ cognitive skills may temporarily diminish as they get tired. They then must stop the task for that day, and continue it when they are feeling better, and when their reading or processing skills are back to their higher levels.</li> <li>An online contact form does not implement any type of time out process. Information entered into the contact form can be submitted at any time and would only be lost if the user closes their browser window.</li>
</ul> </ul>
</section> </section>
<section id="resources"> <section id="resources">
<h2>Resources</h2> <h2>Related Resources</h2>
<ul> <ul>
<li><a href="https://rawgit.com/w3c/coga/master/gap-analysis/table.html">User Needs Table 3: Entering data, error prevention &amp; recovery</a></li> <li><a href="https://rawgit.com/w3c/coga/master/gap-analysis/table.html">User Needs Table 3: Entering data, error prevention &amp; recovery</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.ssa.gov/accessibility/bpl/bps/forms/timeout/default.htm">SSA Best Practices Library: Timeouts</a></li>
</ul> </ul>
</section> </section>
<section id="techniques"> <section id="techniques">
<h2>Techniques</h2> <h2>Techniques</h2>
<section id="sufficient"> <section id="sufficient">
<h3>Sufficient</h3> <h3>Sufficient</h3>
<p class="instructions">Techniques that are sufficient to meet the Guideline or Success Criterion.</p>
<ul> <ul>
<li> Do not expire a session timeout unless there has been a 24 hours of inactivity. </li> <li>Setting a session timeout to occur following at least 20 hours of inactivity.</li>
<li> If a situation exists where a timeout is appropriate, use a mechanism to prevent data loss,  and the ability to return to the original point. </li> <li>Store user data for more than 20 hours.</li>
<li> If a situation exists where a timeout is appropriate, the user is warned at the start of the task about the length of inactivity that would generate a timeout </li> <li>Provide a warning of the duration of user inactivity at the start of a process.</li>
</ul> </ul>
</section> </section>
</section> </section>
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