This week we'll look at the WCAG guideline concerning time limits.

Let's start with the criteria

According to WCAG 2.2.1 -  Timing adjustable  (Level A), learners shouldn’t be given a time limit unless they can extend it or turn it off.  The advanced version of this guideline (WCAG 2.2.3 - No timing) goes beyond that and recommends not setting time limits even if the learners can control them. 

Now let's explore the reasons

• More time needed: There are many reasons behind these guidelines, the most obvious being that some people may need more time processing what's on the screen. People for example who use assistive technologies may need more time to get a feel for the navigation of the page, or listen to the screen reader read out the instructions, texts, and anything else on the screen. Also, people with cognitive impairments or people with English as a second language may need more time to read the information on the screen. 

• Distractions: Not having time constraints can also be about situational impairments. Imagine that you're interrupted by the doorbell ringing and you miss some crucial information or lose some precious time on the task; you're equally disadvantaged. 

• Anxiety: Finally, we must mention that time constraints can make learning experiences stressful and could cause people to have anxiety and moments of mind blanks. 

It's not just about timed activities

While many people may assume that this only relates to timed activities or assessments, it is about anything that has time limits. Other examples where people can miss out on content if this guideline is not followed are slides that automatically move on or update or animated content on the screen that automatically disappears. 

Summary

To comply at the AAA level, avoid imposing time limits completely. If that's not possible, to comply with the basic level of this guideline, allow learners either to turn off or provide a means to set the time limit to 10 times the default time limit.

Resources:

• Follow the link here to read a summary of the guideline related to timing: Understanding SC 2.2.1 Timing Adjustable (Digital a11y)

• Follow this link to read the full WCAG criteria of 2.2.3: WCAG 2.2.3 overview (w3.org)

Discussion questions:

Get Involved: Come to the LCA Spotlight LinkedIn group and join the conversation.

• How do you handle conversations with stakeholders who insist on having time limits for quizzes or learners who like the competitive element of time restraints?

• According to the WCAG guideline, time limits are acceptable if the learner can turn it off or adjust it. How does your authoring tool allow you to do that?

• Have you seen examples of eLearning courses that used timed activities and complied with this guideline?

When you post in the community, use the hashtag #LCASpotlightTiming