- Success Criterion 1.3.1
- Conformance level A
Plain Text or Buttons Wrongly Wrapped in Heading Tags
1.3.1 — Info and Relationships
Scenario
Setting
A streaming music app's search results
What’s wrong
Plain text, buttons, or links wrapped in heading tags — over-heading that fabricates structure (inverse of F2).
Example
<div class="heading">Shipping Address</div>Why it matters
Screen-reader, braille, and reading-tool users who depend on coded structure rather than visual layout.
How to test
Use a screen reader's headings list: plain text, buttons, or links wrapped in h1-h6 create false headings that clutter navigation — check each listed heading is genuinely one.
How to fix
Reserve heading tags for actual headings — unwrap plain text, buttons, and links from h1–h6.
<h2>Shipping Address</h2>A real heading element exposes the section structure to assistive tech; a styled div doesn't.
Outcome
On a streaming music app's search results, this barrier is gone for screen-reader, braille — they reach the same outcome without extra effort.
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)
Related scenarios
- Text Styled to Look Like a Heading Instead of Coded as One
- Text Columns Faked With Spaces Instead of Real Table Markup
- Table Layout Faked With Spaces Instead of Real Table Code
- Clickable Div Acting as a Link Button With No Real Role
- Structural HTML Tags Used Purely for Visual Styling
- Layout-Only Table Wrongly Coded With Real Header Cells