- Success Criterion 3.3.1
- Conformance level A
Form Submission With No Way to Identify What Went Wrong
3.3.1 — Error Identification
Scenario
Setting
A calendar app's event-creation form
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 calendar app's event-creation form runs into this exact issue: 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
Everyone submitting forms — especially screen-reader and color-blind users who miss color-only cues. In this case (a calendar app's event-creation form), they have to guess at the correct format.
How to test
Submit a form with invalid data and check whether ANY error identification appears — visual, textual, or announced: absence of all three fails.
How to fix
A text error message must identify each field in error and be exposed to assistive technology (announced automatically or focused).
Outcome
Once corrected, a calendar app's event-creation form lets them complete the form without guessing.
Who is affected
Everyone submitting forms — especially screen-reader and color-blind users who miss color-only cues.
Learn more
- Understanding Understanding document (opens in a new tab)
Related scenarios
- Form That Fails Silently With No Error Message at All
- Form Errors Marked Only by a Red Border, With No Text
- Generic ‘There Were Errors’ Message With No Field Named
- Error Text That’s Visible but Never Announced to Screen Readers
- Error Summary That Names Fields Too Vaguely to Identify Them
- Error Toast That Disappears Before It Can Be Read