• Success Criterion 3.2.4
  • Conformance level AA

Search Function Labeled ‘Search’ Here and ‘Find’ Elsewhere

3.2.4 — Consistent Identification

Scenario

Setting

A budget airline's flight search results

What’s wrong

Same search function labeled "Search" on one page, "Find" on another.

Example 

<!-- Homepage -->
<button>Search flights</button>

<!-- Results page refine panel -->
<button>Find flights</button>

Why it matters

A traveler who used Search flights to get results sees Find flights in the refine panel and hesitates, unsure whether it repeats the same search or starts something new.

How to test

Compare the search function's label across the site: 'Search' on one page and 'Find' on another for the same function fails.

How to fix

Reuse the exact wording across every instance of the same action, including refine or filter panels.

<!-- Homepage -->
<button>Search flights</button>

<!-- Results page refine panel -->
<button>Search flights</button>

Outcome

A traveler refines their search with confidence, recognizing the same action they used before.

Who is affected

Users with cognitive disabilities rely on consistent labels to trust that a repeated action does what it did before.

Learn more

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