- Success Criterion 2.4.4
- Conformance level A
PDF Link With No Indication of What It Actually Leads To
2.4.4 — Link Purpose (In Context)
Scenario
Setting
A food-delivery app's order-tracking screen
What’s wrong
PDF links with no indication in name/context while purpose depends on knowing it (best practice — failure when destination/purpose genuinely undeterminable).
Example
A QA pass on a food-delivery app's order-tracking screen turns this up: PDF links with no indication in name/context while purpose depends on knowing it (best practice — failure when destination/purpose genuinely undeterminable).
Why it matters
People who browse by links list or voice commands and need unambiguous link purposes. On a food-delivery app's order-tracking screen specifically, they can't tell how the page is organized.
How to test
Check a PDF link's visible text and surrounding context: if neither indicates the destination or purpose, it fails when that information is genuinely needed.
How to fix
The link's purpose must be clear from its accessible name (or name plus immediate programmatic context), and unique among links going to different destinations.
Outcome
Fixed, a visitor to a food-delivery app's order-tracking screen can understand how the page is organized.
Who is affected
People who browse by links list or voice commands and need unambiguous link purposes.
Learn more
- Understanding Understanding document (opens in a new tab)
Related scenarios
- Link’s Purpose Explained Only in Unrelated Page Text
- Image-Only Link or Button With No Accessible Name
- Repeated ‘Click Here’ Links With No Way to Tell Them Apart
- Multiple ‘Download’ Links With No File Name or Type Given
- Icon-Only Link With No Accessible Name at All
- Link Text That’s Just a Long, Meaningless Tracking URL