- 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
<h3><button>Play</button></h3>
<h3>Midnight City</h3>Why it matters
A screen reader user scanning by heading hears "Play" listed as if it were a section title. That clutters the outline with a control, not real content.
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 headings for section titles; wrapping a button in one fabricates structure that doesn't exist.
<h3>Midnight City</h3>
<button>Play</button>Outcome
A user's heading list shows only track titles, with Play buttons reachable but not cluttering the outline.
Who is affected
Screen reader users navigating search results by heading get a heading list padded with buttons that aren't real sections.
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