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The WCAG 2.2 release introduced a new requirement called 'Consistent Help' which effects content.

The criterion states that where any 'help mechanisms' appear on a set of webpages, they must appear in the same relative order.  Sound confusing?  Don't worry, this guide will break it down for you.

What is a 'help mechanism'?

Help mechanism can be defined as any of the following:

  • Human contact details (e.g. Cardiology Team: 0161 0123 4567)
  • Human contact mechanism (e.g. email@cardiolgyteam.com)
  • Self-help option (e.g. contact form, search function or FAQ tool) 
  • A fully automated contact mechanism (e.g. chat bot)

What is a 'set of webpages'?

A 'set of webpages' on a website can be defined a few different ways, but we would boil it down to webpages that are either in the same section, are the same page type, or serving the same goal or purpose. On your website this could be:

  • Service, news or location pages
  • Pages within the same section (e.g. Cardiology and all it's related child pages)
  • Landing pages (e.g. all level 2 pages)

An example of this could be contact details of locations across their different pages. If they all have a telephone number, email address and physical address, they should appear in the same positions on each page.  The items should also be listed in the same consistent order.

Another example might be a contact form shown across all news pages. If a user is a regular reader of your news, they should be able to expect to find that same contact form in the same place each time.

What does it mean?

The user should find the help mechanisms (e.g. contact details) in the same location on each page.  The user might change it themselves, and the website might even provide a way that they can do that - but the default relative order should be the same.

The benefit is that the users will be able to switch between different pages within a section and always know where they should look for help.

How can I apply this?

Depending on the type of content, you have two options to implement this:

1. Manual editing and training

  • Decide with your team where the "help mechanism" (e.g. contact details) will appear.  For example, it could always be in the top right of the page, in a side bar. 
  • Train your team to ensure this is done for all relevant pages and that it will be continued in future
  • You could include a sample page in your 'demo' section for administrators to copy or refer to

2. Contact Frank Support to make this a requirement using code

  • Frank can undertake development to your site to enforce this behaviour through code.  You can contact Frank Support to explain your requirement and they can provide you with an estimate.
  • For contact details, this would involve the contact details being assigned as individual attributes within the Page Composer.  So the administrator would complete new fields such as "Telephone" and "Email".  
  • The code will then place those details in a consistent place on the page, with relevant headings etc. 
  • This also means that should you wish to change the location or formatting in the future, they can all be adjusted using code rather than manually.