- Success Criterion 3.2.3
- Conformance level AA
- W3C reference F66
Navigation Links Appearing in a Different Order on Each Page
3.2.3 — Consistent Navigation
Scenario
Setting
A food delivery app's restaurant menu
What’s wrong
Navigation links appear in a different order on different pages — users who memorize the layout keep getting lost.
Example
<!-- Nav order: Home, Products, About on page A; About, Home, Products on page B -->Why it matters
People who navigate by memory and routine, including many with cognitive or low-vision needs.
How to test
Compare the header/nav/footer order across at least 3-4 different pages in the same section: items should appear in the same relative order everywhere.
How to fix
Keep navigation links in the same relative order on every page.
<!-- Same nav component, same link order, on every page -->Repeated navigation must appear in the same relative order across every page it's used on.
Outcome
On a food delivery app's restaurant menu, this barrier is gone for people who navigate by memory and routine — they get the same result as anyone else here.
Who is affected
People who navigate by memory and routine, including many with cognitive or low-vision needs.
Learn more
- Understanding Understanding document (opens in a new tab)
- Technique Related technique (opens in a new tab)
Related scenarios
- Header Menu Items Reshuffled Differently on Different Sections
- Footer Link Groups Ordered Differently Across Page Templates
- Search Box That Moves to a Different Spot on Every Page
- Breadcrumbs Present on Some Pages but Missing on Others
- Skip Link Appearing in a Different Order on Different Pages
- Mobile Navigation Order That’s Inconsistent With Itself