- Success Criterion 1.3.3
- Conformance level A
Instruction Naming an Icon’s Shape Instead of Its Function
1.3.3 — Sensory Characteristics
Scenario
Setting
A public library's catalog search
What’s wrong
Icon-shape references: "tap the hamburger / the gear" without those controls having visible text or the instruction naming their function.
Example
<p>Click the round green button to submit.</p>Why it matters
Blind, low-vision, and color-blind people when instructions mention only appearance or sound.
How to test
Read icon-shape references ('tap the hamburger', 'the gear icon') alone: check whether those controls also have visible text or an accessible name stating their function.
How to fix
Instructions must name the control or content in text, not only by shape, color, size, position, or sound.
<p>Click the <strong>Submit</strong> button (green, bottom right).</p>Instructions must work by name, not by relying on shape, color, or position alone.
Outcome
On a public library's catalog search, this barrier is gone for blind, low-vision — they no longer have to work around this.
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 Says ‘See the Sidebar’ With No Other Locator
- Instruction That Identifies a Button Only by Its Size
- Instruction That Relies on an Audio Cue With No Visual Backup