- Success Criterion 2.2.1
- Conformance level A
Artificial Countdown Timer Used to Create False Urgency
2.2.1 — Timing Adjustable
Scenario
Setting
A job board's application form
What’s wrong
Countdown timers on checkout/booking not truly real-time-essential (artificial scarcity timers) with no adjust/extend.
Example
Watch a job board's application form closely and you'll spot this: countdown timers on checkout/booking not truly real-time-essential (artificial scarcity timers) with no adjust/extend.
Why it matters
People who read, type, or move slowly, including many screen-reader users. Here, on a job board's application form, the result is they are interrupted before they can finish reading.
How to test
Check checkout/booking countdown timers: if the countdown isn't tied to genuine limited availability (i.e., it's an artificial urgency timer) and offers no adjust/extend option, it fails.
How to fix
The time limit must be removable or adjustable (to at least 10x) before it starts, or extendable via a warning giving at least 20 seconds to respond with a simple action.
Outcome
After the fix, the same visitor to a job board's application form can now keep up without being rushed or interrupted.
Who is affected
People who read, type, or move slowly, including many screen-reader users.
Learn more
- Understanding Understanding document (opens in a new tab)
Related scenarios
- Page Auto-Redirects on a Timer With No Way to Stop It
- Page That Auto-Reloads and Resets the User’s Position
- Server Redirect Timeout With No Warning or Way to Extend It
- Session Expiring With No Warning and No Way to Extend It
- Session Warning That Gives Users Less Than 20 Seconds to Respond
- Session Extension Allowed Fewer Than the Required 10 Times