SC 3.3.2 Labels or Instructions
Provide clear labels and instructions for all user interface components that require input.
- Requirement: Every form component (text fields, checkboxes, dropdowns, etc.) must have associated text that identifies its purpose.
- Content: Include necessary directions such as field purpose, required format (e.g., date structure), and completion requirements (e.g., marking fields as “required”).
- Accessibility: Labels and instructions must be programmatically associated with their respective controls (per SC 1.3.1) to ensure assistive technology can interpret them.
- Usability: Effective labeling prevents confusion, especially for users relying on screen readers, magnifiers, or those with cognitive limitations, by clearly communicating expectations before interaction.
3.3.2 Labels or Instructions: Labels or instructions are provided when content requires user input.
SC 3.3.2 Labels or Instructions supports WCAG Principle 3 – Understandable and requires that forms appropriately identify controls so users can understand what input data is expected. This SC applies to input components for form elements such as text fields, radio buttons, checkboxes, and multi-select lists (such as dropdown or combo boxes).
To meet this SC, labels and instructions for the form elements should include text to indicate the purpose of the field, order of completion, special conditions or qualifiers, and format instructions (if applicable). Labels identify the purpose of a form field, such as a form field that asks for the user’s first name. Instructions provide directions for completing the input fields, such as “Please complete all form fields prior to submitting the form.” Labels and instructions can include textual or graphic cues. For example, a form field may have an asterisk (*) to note it is required or use the word “required.”
Some form input components require a specific format, such as a date or phone number. If a label or instruction is not provided to the user, they may not know that a phone number must be entered in a specific format to be accepted. For form input components that require a specific format, a visible cue must be provided so that users understand how to insert information:
Phone Number
Please enter your phone number in as (###) ###-####.
Today’s Date
Please enter the date in MM/DD/YYYY format.
When labels are provided, they must also meet SC 1.3.1 Info and Relationships.
Impact of Nonconformance with SC 3.3.2 Labels or Instructions
| 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 3.3.2 Labels or Instructions
| Technology | Applicability of SC 3.3.2 Labels or Instructions |
|---|---|
| All (Web, Software, Office documents, PDFs, Mobile Native) | Regardless of the technology in which a control or form input is included, content authors and developers must include instructions that identify the controls and describe what input is required. (Requirements for programmatically associating input objects with their labels and instructions are covered under 1.3.1 Info and Relationships) |