- Success Criterion 1.3.2
- Conformance level A
Multi-Column Article Whose Code Order Interleaves the Columns
1.3.2 — Meaningful Sequence
Scenario
Setting
A budget airline's flight search results
What’s wrong
float-based multi-column article where page code (DOM) reading order interleaves columns nonsensically.
Example
Consider a budget airline's flight search results: float-based multi-column article where page code (DOM) reading order interleaves columns nonsensically.
Why it matters
Screen-reader and keyboard users who encounter content in DOM order. On a budget airline's flight search results, that means they can't navigate the content by its real structure.
How to test
Disable CSS on a multi-column article laid out with float: check whether the reading order interleaves the columns into a nonsensical sequence.
How to fix
The screen reader must read content in an order matching the visual/logical order, item by item — nothing skipped, merged, fragmented, or added.
Outcome
With the fix in place on a budget airline's flight search results, they navigate the content in a sensible order.
Who is affected
Screen-reader and keyboard users who encounter content in DOM order.
Learn more
- Understanding Understanding document (opens in a new tab)
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