Understanding Findable Help

Intent of Findable Help

The intent of this proposed Success Criteria is to ensure users can find help for completing tasks on a website. This is distinct from interface-level help such as contextual help, features like spell checkers, and instructional text in a form.

Locating the help mechanism in a consistent location across pages makes it easier for users to find it. For example, when a mechanism or link is located in the header of a web page, it will be presented in the header of all pages within the set of webpages.

The location in a smaller viewport may be different than in a larger viewport but the mechanism or link will remain in the same location throughout the size. The location should remain consistent both visually and programmatically.

While it would be best for all sites to offer this type of help, the requirement is for single page apps, or any set of web pages with blocks of content that are repeated on multiple web pages, and is actively supported.

When having problems completing a task on a website, 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.

Without help, some users may abandon the task. They may also fail to correctly complete a task, or they may require getting help from people who do not necessarily keep private information secure.

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 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.

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

At least one of the following mechanisms to get help should be included:

• Human contact details such as a phone number, email address, hours of operation;
• Human contact mechanism such as a messaging system, chat client, contact form, social media channel;
• Self-help option such as an up-to-date Frequently Asked Questions, How Do I page, Support page; or
• A fully automated contact mechanism such as a chatbot.

The human contact details should enable the user to connect with the organization or the part of the organization responsible for the content. For example, an online jobs / recruitment portal should provide a contact method for the team that supports the recruitment portal and not a catch-all for the entire company. Each layer of contact added prolongs the time before the user will receive help.

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.

For pages for which no human support is available, a self-help option should say that no human support is available. Self-help options should go beyond allowing the user to search within the site. Contextual help is still recommended (See SC 3.3.5 for more information) but a self-help option should provide 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.

If a chatbot is provided, it should meet other WCAG success criteria for your conformance level. Chatbots which work more effectively for everyone, and particularly for people with cognitive disabilities should:

• recognize misspelled words,
• provide human contact details if the chatbot is unable to provide a satisfactory response after 3 attempts, and
• be dismissed with a single interaction, and recalled using a link or button.

It is not the intent of this Success Criteria to require authors to provide help information on PDFs or other static documents that may be available for viewing/download from the web pages. It is also not the intent to require contact information if:

• A website is not supported,
• Content is archived, or
• When finding help would invalidate the activity such as in a testing situation.

It is also not the intent of this Success Criteria to require a human be available at all times. If the human contact is not available during certain hours or certain days, information should be provided so the user can tell when it will be available.

Benefits of Findable Help

• This Success Criterion helps people who may have difficulty locating help that is not part of the page they are using. Ensuring they can connect with help allows them to complete the task.
• When a user can easily find help for their specific questions, they are more successful completing tasks.
• 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.
• Enabling users (especially those with cognitive disabilities) to find solutions while expressing their question using their own words increases their chances of success for completing a task.

Examples of Findable Help

• 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. Easily findable contact information will enable them to use phone or email so they can get an answer to their question.
• 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 built-in messaging option (chat client) enables them to quickly interact with a staff person that can help, without requiring them to manage a second interface.
• 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 How Do I page may include the information that enables them to independently complete this task.

Techniques for Findable Help