Success Criterion 1.4.13
Conformance level AA
W3C reference F95

Hover Tooltip That Vanishes Before the Pointer Can Reach It

1.4.13 — Content on Hover or Focus

Scenario

Setting

A university's online course catalog

What’s wrong

Content that appears on hover (tooltip, preview) vanishes when the user tries to move the mouse onto it — it can never be read closely.

Example

A university's online course catalog runs into this exact issue: content that appears on hover (tooltip, preview) vanishes when the user tries to move the mouse onto it — it can never be read closely.

Why it matters

Screen-magnifier users, people with motor tremors, and keyboard-only users of tooltips/menus. In this case (a university's online course catalog), they can't perceive part of the content because of how it's displayed.

How to test

Hover to trigger the tooltip/popover, then move the pointer toward it: if it disappears before the pointer reaches it, it fails.

How to fix

Keep hover content visible while the pointer moves onto it (hover on both trigger and popup).

Outcome

Once corrected, a university's online course catalog lets them tell the information apart without relying on color, specifically for the “Hover Tooltip That Vanishes Before the Pointer Can Reach It” issue on a university's online course catalog.

Who is affected

Screen-magnifier users, people with motor tremors, and keyboard-only users of tooltips/menus.

Learn more

Understanding Understanding document (opens in a new tab)
Technique Related technique (opens in a new tab)