Current versions of SC and Definitions

• AA SC for viewing | AA SC for editing
• AAA SC for viewing | AAA SC for editing
• conventional user interface component definition for viewing | Conventional names / conventional user interface component definition for editing
• common interactive controls definition for viewing | common interactive controls definition for editing
• common navigation elements definition for viewing | common navigation elements definition for editing
• contextual information definition for viewing | contextual information definition for editing
• AA SC in full draft guideline
• AAA SC in full draft guideline

SC Shortname

Support Personalization (minimum)

SC Text

A version of the content is available such that one of the following is true:

• It serves the same purpose as the original content, important information comes before other information; there are a maximum of 5 controls per screen; and controls have icons and visible text labels.
• Contextual Information that can be conveyed through author settable properties or meta-data is available for essential functionality and content and critical features can be programmatically determined.

Suggestion for Priority Level

(A)

Related Glossary additions or changes

Contextual information

semantics and tags that give meaning to the content such as context of elements; concept and role; relevance and information for simplification; position in a process

Personalization

user interface that is driven by the individual user's preferences

Author settable properties

type of distraction, type of help, type of transaction and type of reminder, instructions and status of an element

critical features

features that are required to complete the main role or tasks of the user interface

important information

information the user may need to complete any action or task including an offline task, or related to safety, risks, privacy, health or opportunities

standardized technique

part of a W3C standard, the standard of the native platform, or a WCAG technique (please note: other success criterion have better definitions for this term)

What Principle and Guideline the SC falls within.

This could fall under:

WCAG 1 Perceivable - Guidline 1.3 Create content that can be presented in different ways (for example simpler layout) without losing information or structure

Description

The intent of this success cryteria is to support user preferences or needs of the user. For example, having familiar terms and symbols is key to being able to use the web. However what is familiar for one user may be new for another requiring them to learn new symbols. Personalization could include loading a set of symbols that is appropriate for the specific user, ensuring that all users find the icons simple and familiar.

Technology holds the promise of being extremely flexible and the design of many systems includes the expectation that users will be able to optimise their interaction experience according to their personal preferences or accessibility requirements (needs).

Benefits

This Success Criterion helps users who need extra support or a familure interface. This can include:

• Symbols and graphics that they are familiar with
• Tool tips
• Language they understand
• Less features
• Separating advertisements, so they do not confuse them with native content
• Keyboard short cuts

We need personalization because:

• Different user needs can conflict
• Learning new design patterns (and widgets) can be confusing - we want to allow users to stick with what works for them
• Extra support can be annoying to people who do not need it
• Making content predictable is necessary for accessibility but can often be considered boring design
• Ability to change levels of complexity (increase or decrease) - As people skills improve or decrease over time or context.
• Enable us to really meet the user needs

This helps people with many diffrent cognitive disabilities including people with:

• Language related disabilities
• Memory related disabilities
• Focus and attention related disabilities
• Disabilities that effects executive function and decision making

Togther this can effect 11% of school age people and over half of people over 60 years old - including mild cognative imparment an Age-Associate Memory Impairment (AAMI).

Research on these benefits can be found at [cudd-1] and the task forces issue-papers on personalization and preferences. Also see the example of an adaptive page.

An example is a user can be a person growing older whose ability to learn new things has slowed down. This includes learning new interfaces, symbols and designs. They also rely on tool tips. So long as the design is on they know they can use the application and stay in the work force. When the interfaces change, they tryand learn the new interface, but the cognitive load becomes to great and they need to retire.
Another example:

"Research has shown that dementia changes a person's perception of distances, objects, and colours. Dementia can reduce or remove the ability to see colours from the blue to purple end of the spectrum. Decorative patterns can 'strobe' and possibly confuse or unsettle people. Even something as simple as a silver strip between different floor coverings in a doorway can appear to a person with dementia like something threatening, such as a step or a hole."

Taken from https://www.alzheimers.org.uk/site/scripts/documents_info.php?documentID=2591

Related Resources

Resources are for information purposes only, no endorsement implied.

• Open source project of example script that a web author can use or include that read the user settings in the JSON files and adapt the page for the user needs example script and example of adaptive page
• Issue-papers on personalization and preferences
• Gap analysis Table 7 - Clear and understandable content and text
• User needs Table 6 (less polished but more up-to date version)
• Background research document
• Semantics for adaptive interfaces

Testability

General test

For HTML and Web Content

1. Identify the role of elements
2. Identify the context of regions and controls
3. Check that the context and role is clear from the markup - if not add the role and context from native HTML, ARIA and COGA (where it is supported)
4. Ensure content conforms to those standards where they can be used for personlisation or additional support.and set the applicable auther settable properties

Techniques

Techniques include:

• Use semantics and standardized techniques to provide extra help (COGA Techniques 4.1).
• Provide semantics that symbols on key content (COGA Techniques 4.2)
• Enable user agents to find the version of the content that best fits their needs.
• Use of aria-invalid and aria-required
• Use of aria epub on document content
• Use of aria landmarks - but with coga context where supported

Common Failures for Success Criterion

The following are common mistakes that are considered failures of Success Criterion 3.1.1 by the WCAG Working Group.

1. standardized semantics for personalization were appropriate and not used.
2. standardized platform technique for personalization were appropriate and not used.