- Success Criterion 3.3.3
- Conformance level AA
Rejected Input With No Guidance on How to Fix It
3.3.3 — Error Suggestion
Scenario
Setting
A used-car marketplace's listing filter
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 used-car marketplace's listing filter 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 stalled by vague validation messages. The practical effect on a used-car marketplace's listing filter: they lose their progress and have to start over.
How to test
Check whether an error message that could safely include a fix (known format, known rules) actually does: absence of any suggestion mechanism at all fails.
How to fix
The error message must tell the user how to fix the problem — the expected format, range, or valid options.
Outcome
That one change on a used-car marketplace's listing filter means they see exactly what went wrong and how to fix it, specifically for the “Rejected Input With No Guidance on How to Fix It” issue on a used-car marketplace's listing filter.
Who is affected
People with cognitive disabilities and anyone stalled by vague validation messages.
Learn more
- Understanding Understanding document (opens in a new tab)
Related scenarios
- Invalid Entry Message With No Hint at the Expected Format
- Rejected Date Entry With No Explanation of the Expected Format
- Rejected Password With No List of the Unmet Requirements
- Taken Username With No Suggested Alternatives Offered
- Rejected File Upload With No Stated Size or Type Limits
- Rejected Entry With No Suggested Near-Match From a Known List