Error Identification

About

Version:	WCAG 2.0 and up
Number:	3.3.1
Level:	A
Applicability:	Form Inputs
Requirement:	If an input error is automatically detected, the item that is in error is identified and the error is described to the user in text.
Guidance:	Understanding Success Criterion 3.3.1 How to meet Success Criterion 3.3.1
Techniques:	ARIA18: Using aria-alertdialog to Identify Errors ARIA19: Using ARIA role=alert or Live Regions to Identify Errors ARIA21: Using Aria-Invalid to Indicate An Error Field G83: Providing text descriptions to identify required fields that were not completed G84: Providing a text description when the user provides information that is not in the list of allowed values G85: Providing a text description when user input falls outside the required format or values SCR18: Providing client-side validation and alert SCR32: Providing client-side validation and adding error text via the DOM

Purpose

The purpose of this success criterion is to ensure that all users can locate and understand input errors.

How to Meet

Authors need to ensure that form fields that contain invalid information are clearly identified and easy to locate. This is often accomplished by providing a list of issues at the beginning of the form and linking the user to each problem, in addition to styling, labeling, and identifying the invalid fields.

Authors also need to explain the problem with the input. Providing suggestions on how to fix the problem is covered by success criterion 3.3.3.

Additional Information

The following knowledge base pages provide more information about how to address this success criterion for publishing content:

Input Validation