Techniques for WCAG 2.0

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# G11: Creating content that blinks for less than 5 seconds

## Applicability

Technologies that support blinking content.

This technique relates to:

- Success Criterion 2.2.2 (Pause, Stop, Hide)
  - How to Meet 2.2.2 (Pause, Stop, Hide)
  - Understanding Success Criterion 2.2.2 (Pause, Stop, Hide)

## Description

The objective of this technique is to minimize the distraction caused by blinking content and enable users to re-focus on the other content on the page.

Blinking content can be created using a variety of technologies, many of which include options to loop blinking content continuously or to otherwise specify the amount of time the blinking content is displayed. Limiting the blinking of content to five seconds minimizes the distraction that blinking can cause. This will benefit people with certain types of learning disabilities and people with low vision.

## Examples

- An animated image is used to highlight items on sale. Within a list of items for purchase, an image of a red tag followed by the phrase "On sale" is used to indicate items being offered at a reduced price. The image of the red tag blinks on loading of the page and stops within five seconds.

## Related Techniques

- G152: Setting animated gif images to stop blinking after n cycles (within 5 seconds)
- G186: Using a control in the Web page that stops moving, blinking, or auto-updating content
- G187: Using a technology to include blinking content that can be turned off via the user agent
- G191: Providing a link, button, or other mechanism that reloads the page without any blinking content
- SCR22: Using scripts to control blinking and stop it in five seconds or less

## Tests

### Procedure

1. Find all items that blink.

2. For each item that blinks, determine if the interval between the start and end of the blinking is less than five seconds.

### Expected Results

- #2 is true.

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