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timers

GUIDELINES 2.2

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Who is impacted

Users with cognitive disabilities, motor impairments, or those using assistive technologies who need more time to complete tasks.

How to test

Identify all time-limited interactions and verify users can extend, adjust, or disable the time limits.

Resources

Visit W3C Understanding Enough Time and WebAIM for detailed guidance on time limit accessibility.

Adjustable Timing

When time limits are set on content, users should be able to turn off, adjust, or extend the time limit. This is critical for users who need more time to read content, fill out forms, or complete tasks. At minimum, users should be warned before time expires and given at least 20 seconds to extend the time with a simple action.

Session timeouts are a common source of frustration. If a session is about to expire, warn the user and give them the option to extend it. When sessions do expire, save user data so they do not lose their progress.

No Timing Requirements

Where possible, design interactions that do not require timed responses at all. Timing should only be used when it is essential to the activity (such as an auction or a real-time event). For most web content and forms, there is no reason to impose time limits on users.