- Success Criterion 1.3.1
- Conformance level A
Out-of-Stock Status Shown Only Visually, Never Announced
1.3.1 — Info and Relationships
Scenario
Setting
A coworking-space booking app
What’s wrong
Availability states shown only visually — an option greyed out or struck through as 'out of stock', or stock info like '4 left' — are never announced, so screen reader users pick unavailable options or miss urgency.
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
Focus an option marked 'out of stock' or showing '4 left' visually: a screen reader should announce that state too — if it's conveyed by styling alone (greyed out, strikethrough), it fails.
How to fix
Announce availability in the accessible name/state (e.g., 'Size M, out of stock') and update it dynamically.
<h2>Shipping Address</h2>A real heading element exposes the section structure to assistive tech; a styled div doesn't.
Outcome
On a coworking-space booking app, this barrier is gone for screen-reader, braille — they can complete the task without hitting this wall.
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