Allowing the content to be paused and restarted from where it was paused

ID: G4

Technology: general

Type: Technique

When to Use

Any technology that includes moving or scrolling content.

Description

The objective of this technique is to provide a way to pause movement or scrolling of content. If the user needs to pause the movement, to reduce distraction or to have time to read it, they can do so, and then restart it as needed. This mechanism can be provided either through interactive controls that conform to WCAG or through keyboard shortcuts. If keyboard shortcuts are used, they are documented.

Examples

A site contains a scrolling news banner at the top of the page. Users who need more time to read it can press the Escape key to pause the scrolling. Pressing Escape again restarts it.
A Web page contains a link labeled "How to tie a shoe" which links to an animation. Text immediately preceding the link informs the user that pressing the spacebar will pause the animation and restart it again.

Tests

Procedure

On a page with moving or scrolling content,

Use the mechanism provided in the Web page or by the user agent to pause the moving or scrolling content.
Check that the moving or scrolling has stopped and does not restart by itself.
Use the mechanism provided to restart the moving content.
Check that the movement or scrolling has resumed from the point where it was stopped.

Expected Results

#2 and #4 are true.