- Success Criterion 1.3.1
- Conformance level A
Star Rating or Progress Step Shown Only as a Visual Cue
1.3.1 — Info and Relationships
Scenario
Setting
A pharmacy app's prescription-refill form
What’s wrong
Star ratings, progress steps, and status badges whose meaning exists only in visual position/color.
Example
A pharmacy app's prescription-refill form shows the problem clearly: star ratings, progress steps, and status badges whose meaning exists only in visual position/color.
Why it matters
Screen-reader, braille, and reading-tool users who depend on coded structure rather than visual layout. On a pharmacy app's prescription-refill form, this barrier means they can't tell what's going on without extra effort.
How to test
Focus a star rating, step indicator, or status badge with a screen reader: it should announce a text equivalent ('3 of 5 stars', 'Step 2 of 4') — visual-only fails.
How to fix
Provide the rating/step/status as text (e.g., '3 of 5 stars', 'Step 2 of 4') alongside the visual.
Outcome
Corrected, a pharmacy app's prescription-refill form now lets a visitor move through the content with confidence.
Who is affected
Screen-reader, braille, and reading-tool users who depend on coded structure rather than visual layout.
Learn more
- Understanding Understanding document (opens in a new tab)
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