proposed SC Findable Help

Hi,
Thank you to a large number of people that have been helping to craft the proposed success criteria for Findable Help/Make it easy for the user to find and get help.
Steve Lee and I have come to the understanding after a lot of work that we believe half of the original intent for the SC may be able to pass to the next stage (getting something on every page) but specifying the location most likely would not.
We have drafted some new language we would like reviewed and are sending to both lists. If you have would have a moment to review, share thoughts, it would be greatly appreciated. Feedback preference is to add comments into the Google Doc (https://docs.google.com/document/d/1fX4Iw169OGUny5RTd70S8qAneYy5e0hr7zupE21gPBM/edit#<https://docs.google.com/document/d/1fX4Iw169OGUny5RTd70S8qAneYy5e0hr7zupE21gPBM/edit>) but email would be fine as well. We would appreciate feedback by Thursday at 9am CST.
I will paste the latest draft after my name in this email. Thanks for considering this request for feedback,
Steve and Jennie

Full title: Make it easy for the user to find and get help.

Draft SC text:
On every page at least one of the following is provided in a consistent location:

  *   Human contact details – e.g. telephone number, email address
  *   Human contact mechanism – e.g. messaging system/chat client, email form
  *   Self-help option – Frequently Asked Questions/How Do I page, support page, or help content
The above does not include options like chat bots.

Plain English Summary:

The intent of this success criteria is to provide help beyond the support provided by the user interface alone, such as help features like spell checkers and instructional text at the beginning of a form.

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 help. Task abandonment, failure to correctly complete a task, or the requirement to get help from people who do not necessarily keep private information secure may be required when help is not available from the site or site support staff. Self-help methods beyond the site, such as using internet search to find contact information for an organization, can be too difficult. Further, their 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. scrolling, complex navigation menu).

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

When a human is available to help, the contact information or mechanism must be easy to find. This cannot require working through another multi-step format, or a complicated chat interface. This ease of use can be provided through methods such as providing:

  *   a telephone number,
  *   a built-in messaging option (i.e., chat client),
  *   an email form or address.
If a human is not available to help, other methods such as a Frequently Asked Questions page must be provided. If the site is no longer supported, this information must be present.
The preference is for the help to be visually present and available to assistive technologies in the top third of the website or app, preferably easy to visually identify without going into another mechanism (e.g. submenu).

Benefits
By providing easy access to a human assistant, users unable to understand an interaction can complete the task. Users who have difficulty tracking two processes simultaneously (i.e. a multi-step help format and a multi-step task) will better be able to complete the task. 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.

Test Procedure
On every page verify that there is at least one of the following:

  1.  human contact details - e.g. telephone number, email address
  2.  human contact mechanism - e.g. messaging system/chat client, email form,
  3.  self-help option - Frequently Asked Questions/How Do I page, support page or help content.

The above does not include options like chat bots.

Note: the link to self-help content or support can be:

  *   A frequently asked questions page
  *   A support forum
  *   A manual or other support documentation
  *   A form to submit for questions, or to have an issue addressed.

Note: the following do not satisfy the success criteria:

  *   Tool-tips
  *   Contextual help such as an “i” that on hover or click reveals more information
  *   Instructions that would already be included for completing form controls.

[End of draft text]
Jennie Delisi, MA, CPWA
Accessibility Analyst | Office of Accessibility
Minnesota IT Services | Partners in Performance
658 Cedar Street
St. Paul, MN 55155
O: 651-201-1135
Information Technology for Minnesota Government | mn.gov/mnit<http://mn.gov/mnit>
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