SC 3.3.3 Error Suggestion
Provide actionable suggestions for correcting input errors when detected.
- Requirement: If the system detects an error and knows how to correct it, provide those suggestions to the user to assist in successful completion.
- Methods: Deliver suggestions via dialog boxes, pop-up messages, or on-screen text appearing near the error location.
- Security Exception: Do not provide suggestions if doing so would jeopardize the security or purpose of the content (e.g., displaying correct private data like a Social Security number).
- Goal: Reduce user frustration, minimize repeated attempts, and ensure the task can be completed efficiently.
3.3.3 Error Suggestion: If an input error is automatically detected and suggestions for correction are known, then the suggestions are provided to the user unless it would jeopardize the security or purpose of the content.
SC 3.3.3 Error Suggestion supports the Understandable principle, which requires that users receive appropriate guidance on how to correct form input errors. Providing suggestions for correcting input errors helps users understand the nature of an error in order to correct it and successfully complete a form. Appropriate suggestions can also help users avoid multiple attempts to correct errors.
Note, when providing suggestions is a potential security concern, this SC is not required. For example, if a user mis-enters their Social Security number and the application knows their correct Social Security number, it would be a security problem to display the correct number and ask the user to enter it, but indicating that the Social Security number field is incorrect would be acceptable.
Examples of how error suggestions may be provided can include:
- Dialog boxes – a dialog box that displays a error message about what the error is, where it is located, and how to correct it.
- Pop-up messages – a pop-up message that displays when a user exits a field that has not been completed correctly which identifies how to correct the error.
- Text on a screen – a message that appear in text where the error has occurred which identifies what is needed to correct the error.
Impact of Nonconformance with SC 3.3.3 Error Suggestion
| 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 3.3.3 Error Suggestion
| Technology | Applicability of SC 3.3.3 Error Suggestion |
|---|---|
| Web | Web developers can use various methods for providing suggestions to correct errors, including alerts or dialogs, ARIA Live Regions, and/or sending focus to on-screen text describing the error suggestion. |
| Software | Software developers can use various methods for providing suggestions to correct errors, including alerts, dialogs, and/or sending focus to on-screen text describing the error suggestion. |
| Office documents | It can be difficult to create accessible forms in Office documents. The MS Word 2013 Basic Authoring and Testing Guide from the Accessible Electronic Documents Community of Practice instructs content authors to avoid creating forms in MS Word 2013 entirely. Nevertheless, content authors might use macros to create alerts and dialogs that provide error suggestions in addition to data validation alerts available in some Office applications. |
| PDF documents | Depending on the authoring tool, PDF form developers may use form field validation alerts to identify field formatting errors and provide suggestions for correcting errors. Other error suggestions based on more complicated calculations rely on built-in or embedded scripts. Again, depending on the authoring tool, alert messages provide mixed results with regard to accessibility. Therefore, PDF form developers must ensure that the error suggestion messages and/or on-screen text used to make error suggestions is accessible. |
| Mobile Native | Mobile-native software developers can use various methods for providing suggestions to correct errors, including alerts, dialogs, and/or sending focus to on-screen text describing the error suggestion. |