• Success Criterion 1.3.3
  • Conformance level A
  • W3C reference F14

Instructions That Identify Something Only by Shape or Position

1.3.3 — Sensory Characteristics

Scenario

Setting

A music streaming app's playlist screen

What’s wrong

Instructions identify something only by its shape or position. 'click the round button' or 'use the box on the right' — which is meaningless to blind users or when the layout changes.

Example

On a music streaming app's playlist screen, a visitor hits this wall: instructions identify something only by its shape or position. 'click the round button' or 'use the box on the right' — which is meaningless to blind users or when the layout changes.

Why it matters

Blind, low-vision, and color-blind people when instructions mention only appearance or sound. In this case (a music streaming app's playlist screen), they lose track of what belongs to what.

How to test

Read the instruction text alone, without seeing the layout: 'the box on the right' or 'the round button' means nothing without sight — check for a text/name reference instead.

How to fix

Name the control or content in the instruction ('select Submit') instead of describing its shape or position.

Outcome

Once corrected, a music streaming app's playlist screen lets them navigate the content in a sensible order, specifically for the “Instructions That Identify Something Only by Shape or Position” issue on a music streaming app's playlist screen.

Who is affected

Blind, low-vision, and color-blind people when instructions mention only appearance or sound.

Learn more

Related scenarios