- Success Criterion 1.3.3
- Conformance level A
Instruction That Says ‘See the Sidebar’ With No Other Locator
1.3.3 — Sensory Characteristics
Scenario
Setting
A nonprofit's donation form
What’s wrong
"See the sidebar/left menu/below" as the only locator, meaningless when linearized or zoomed to single column.
Example
A QA pass on a nonprofit's donation form turns this up: "See the sidebar/left menu/below" as the only locator, meaningless when linearized or zoomed to single column.
Why it matters
Blind, low-vision, and color-blind people when instructions mention only appearance or sound. On a nonprofit's donation form, that means they can't tell how the page is organized.
How to test
Read the instruction alone: 'see the sidebar' or 'the menu on the left' is meaningless once the layout changes (e.g., single-column mobile view) or to a screen reader user.
How to fix
Instructions must name the control or content in text, not only by shape, color, size, position, or sound.
Outcome
With the fix in place on a nonprofit's donation form, they navigate the content in a sensible order.
Who is affected
Blind, low-vision, and color-blind people when instructions mention only appearance or sound.
Learn more
- Understanding Understanding document (opens in a new tab)
Related scenarios
- Instructions That Identify Something Only by Shape or Position
- Instruction Given Only Through an Icon, With No Text Meaning
- Instruction That Tells Users to Click ‘the Green Button’
- Instruction That Identifies a Button Only by Its Size
- Instruction That Relies on an Audio Cue With No Visual Backup
- Instruction That Relies on a Swipe Direction With No Named Alternative