- Success Criterion 3.2.6
- Conformance level A
Help Mechanism Missing on Some Pages of the Same Process
3.2.6 — Consistent Help
Scenario
Setting
A professional networking site's profile editor
What’s wrong
No numbered W3C failure technique exists for this rule — it fails simply when the required feature/behavior is missing or inadequate (see the scenarios below).
Example
A QA pass on a professional networking site's profile editor turns this up: no numbered W3C failure technique exists for this rule — it fails simply when the required feature/behavior is missing or inadequate (see the scenarios below).
Why it matters
People with cognitive disabilities and anyone who needs help quickly during a task. On a professional networking site's profile editor specifically, they can't predict where to find the same feature.
How to test
Check for a help mechanism (contact, chat, FAQ) on every page in a process — confirm it exists — if entirely absent where expected, it fails.
How to fix
Help mechanisms must appear in the same relative order/position on every page where they occur.
Outcome
Fixed, a visitor to a professional networking site's profile editor can find the same feature in the same place.
Who is affected
People with cognitive disabilities and anyone who needs help quickly during a task.
Learn more
- Understanding Understanding document (opens in a new tab)
Related scenarios
- Contact Link That Moves Between Header and Footer Randomly
- Chat Widget That Changes Screen Position Between Pages
- Help Link Order Shuffled Around the Footer From Page to Page
- Phone Number Hidden in a Submenu Only After Logging In
- Self-Help Search Placed Differently Across the Same Site Section
- Help Option Missing on the One Step Users Struggle With Most