Success Criterion 3.3.1
Conformance level A

Error Text That’s Visible but Never Announced to Screen Readers

3.3.1 — Error Identification

Scenario

Setting

A job board's application form

What’s wrong

Error text present visually but not associated or announced (no aria-describedby (code that ties help or error text to a field), no live region (code that makes screen readers announce updates)/alert, focus untouched) — user not *informed* in text they can find.

Example

<input class="error" type="text">

Why it matters

Everyone submitting forms — especially screen-reader and color-blind users who miss color-only cues.

How to test

Submit invalid data and check DevTools: if the error text isn't linked to its field via aria-describedby, and no live region announces it, a screen reader user won't discover it.

How to fix

A text error message must identify each field in error and be exposed to assistive technology (announced automatically or focused).

<input class="error" type="text" aria-describedby="err-1">

<span id="err-1">Enter a valid email address</span>

A text message identifying the field and the problem must be exposed to assistive tech, not just shown as a red border.

Outcome

On a job board's application form, this barrier is gone for everyone submitting forms — they can finish what they came here to do.

Who is affected