---
title: "Objective 5 - Help Users Focus"
description: "Objective 5 covers patterns that reduce distraction and protect the user's attention."
---

# Objective 5 - Help Users Focus

Objective 5 covers patterns that reduce distraction and protect the user's attention. The user need is "Attention Support": users with attention-related disabilities, anxiety, or executive function differences struggle when interfaces present competing demands, unnecessary detours, or visual noise. Designs that strip distraction and shorten critical paths help all users complete tasks.

Source: W3C, Making Content Usable for People with Cognitive and Learning Disabilities, Objective 5, <https://www.w3.org/TR/coga-usable/#objective-5>.

## control-help-users-focus

**Control 5.1 Help Users Focus**

Visual noise, autoplay media, and unsolicited overlays steal attention from the task at hand. Pages must minimise distraction so users can keep their focus on the action they came to perform.

**Design patterns**:

* Reduce competing visual elements on task-focused pages.
* Disable autoplay for video, audio, and animation by default.
* Avoid unsolicited modal overlays during a task.
* Use whitespace and visual hierarchy to direct attention to the primary action.

**Assessment heuristics**:

* Confirm task-focused pages have a single dominant action and minimal competing content.
* Confirm media does not autoplay without explicit consent.
* Confirm overlays appear only in response to user action or as part of the task flow.

Source: <https://www.w3.org/TR/coga-usable/#objective-5>.

## control-make-short-critical-paths

**Control 5.2 Make Short Critical Paths**

The path from intent to completion must be as short as possible. Every detour, intermediate page, or upsell increases the chance the user abandons the task or makes a mistake.

**Design patterns**:

* Remove non-essential steps from critical paths (checkout, sign-in, support contact).
* Combine related steps where it does not increase complexity.
* Offer guest checkout and one-click options where appropriate.
* Avoid forcing account creation before allowing a task to complete.

**Assessment heuristics**:

* Confirm critical paths (checkout, sign-in, primary task) involve the minimum necessary steps.
* Confirm optional information requests are clearly marked as optional.
* Confirm the user can complete a primary task without unrelated detours.

Source: <https://www.w3.org/TR/coga-usable/#objective-5>.

## control-avoid-too-much-content

**Control 5.3 Avoid Too Much Content**

Pages overloaded with information overwhelm users. Showing only what is needed for the current task, with optional detail available on demand, lets users absorb the content at their pace.

**Design patterns**:

* Show only the information needed for the current task.
* Use progressive disclosure (expandable sections, "show more") for optional detail.
* Defer secondary information to separate pages or sections.
* Trim repeated or redundant content.

**Assessment heuristics**:

* Confirm pages display only the information needed to complete the immediate task.
* Confirm optional detail is reachable but does not clutter the default view.
* Confirm content is not repeated within the same page.

Source: <https://www.w3.org/TR/coga-usable/#objective-5>.