2.4.2 Page Titled: Web pages have titles that describe topic or purpose.
SC 2.4.2 Page Titled supports the Operable principle and ensures that users with disabilities can easily obtain information about the purpose and content of a Web page, document, or application window. Descriptive page and window titles allow users to quickly identify the content and purpose, eliminating the need for users to read through or interpret contents to obtain this information. Descriptive page and window titles facilitate navigation when multiple windows, screens, or Web pages are open simultaneously.
Page or window titles must contain the page or window’s topic or purpose in plain language. This SC applies to Web pages and applications, electronic documents, and native software applications. For electronic documents, titles may be based on file names, if it is descriptive enough. For native software, titles are usually the name of the top-level application window or reflect the purpose of specific screens.
Impact of Nonconformance with SC 2.4.2 Page Titled
| Type of Disability | Description of Impact |
|---|---|
| 302.1 Without Vision | Users who are blind cannot use a mouse to interact with electronic content and typically use an assistive technology, such as a screen reader, to get audible or other alternative output for the information represented visually. To be able to navigate the content, understand its structure and relationships, and understand the meaning of content represented in graphics and images, the content must provide textual and programmatic cues in addition to the content presented purely visually. |
| 302.2 With Limited Vision | Users with limited vision may have widely different visual perception. Individuals with limited vision may or may not use assistive technologies. Therefore, in addition to textual and programmatic cues necessary for assistive technologies, ICT must also present content consistently and predictably. Users who view content with magnifiers may not pick up alerts, warnings, or other content if such content is presented outside of a consistent and predictable navigation pattern or if the content is not itself viewable at large magnification. Content that becomes distorted when magnified can also prevent some users with limited vision from being able to understand or interact with the content. |
| 302.7 With Limited Manipulation | Some users may not be able to perform actions that require fine motor control (clicking and dragging), path dependent gestures (pattern-based passcodes), or simultaneous actions (Ctrl + Alt + Del). Providing alternative means to perform the same actions, such as entering the size specifications in an input field to resize an object or allowing sequential key entries, can enable users with limited manipulation to interact with the same content. |
| 302.8 With Limited Reach and Strength | Some users may lack sufficient strength to perform actions such as squeezing, grasping, or depressing a hardware control. Some users, including those in wheelchairs or of shorter stature, may not be able to reach controls that are placed too high or too far away from where a user would access the device controls or interface. ICT designers and developers must consider a broad range of statures, strength and dexterity limitations, and the needs of wheelchair users in order to provide interfaces that are operable with limited reach and/or strength. |
| 302.9 With Limited Language, Cognitive, and Learning Abilities | Some users require more time than average to process information while others may find complicated instructions difficult to follow. Furthermore, some ICT content can distract or overwhelm users, preventing them from being able to interact with or understand other ICT content. Designers and developers of ICT must consider a broad range of cognitive abilities in order to provide ICT that is simple and easy to use. |
Applicability of Success Criteria 2.4.2 Page Titled
| Technology | Applicability of SC 2.4.2 Page Titled |
|---|---|
| Web | Web developers provide the page title in the <title> element included within the <head> element of the Web page. |
| Software Software developers typically provide the application title in the property that maps to the accessibility API’s name property for the primary application or window node. | |
| Office documents | Content authors define the document Title in the Office document properties. |
| PDF documents | Content authors define the document Title in the PDF document properties. |
| Mobile Native | Mobile-native developers typically provide the application title in the property that maps to the accessibility API’s name property for the primary application or window node. |