High time to reconsider the use of timers

One quiet and otherwise peaceful afternoon I find myself furiously hammering away at the keyboard. I might be energetic but I’m not fast enough; the timer on the screen is out before I my answer is registered.

I let out an expletive of frustration: I knew the answer to this question, I just didn’t have the time to read it and reply before the timer went off.

Having some time to spare, I had decided to take an online test on digital skills. I told myself it was mainly to see what types of questions were included in these types of tests. But of course, I was also curious about how I would score. Maybe I would get a digital pat on the back. Or even a mini diploma if I was lucky.

As it turns out, the “skills” test was mainly about knowledge, not really about practice. On this I did quite well. At least I know my browser from my operating system.

However, there was one key “skill” sneakily embedded in the way the test was set up: the ability to do speed reading in a foreign language. As the test progressed, the texts became longer and more complicated to answer. Although a proficient reader in English, it is not my first language. All the questions were timed, presumably to keep you from looking up the answer elsewhere. As a result, I just didn’t have the time to respond on the last questions.

This was not an official exam for a job or a university course or certification. It was presented as an easy way for anyone to assess their level of knowledge and get inspired to learn more. But with the timer set to the same short interval regardless of the length of the question, in the end I didn’t focus on the content, just on the length of the text and the timer…

After the test, I was so stressed and annoyed that I just closed the website with no inspiration or motivation to read further.

Timing is an issue of inclusion

This time, for me, nothing crucial was at stake. The worst that could happen would be a slightly bruised ego and a wasted hour of my life. But for someone else in another context, there may be more serious consequences. There are many people who have an issue with interfaces not giving enough time to read or input information for different reasons. People who benefit from the possibility to adjust the timing include older adults, persons with motor impairments and people with concentration or reading issues. Or, like in this case, anyone trying to understand text or instructions in a foreign language.

Speed reading and fast reactions cannot be digital skills that users need to learn to be able to participate in the digital environment.

Instead, the responsibility is with the website owner: ensuring that people can take in and process information at their own speed is a feature of accessibility.

So the next time you want to implement a timer on your website, think about your users and think about the consequences. Who do you want to include and what message do you want to send out to your audience. Do you want time to be on your side only, or shouldn’t it be on the side of the user?