- Success Criterion 3.3.1
- Conformance level A
Form Reset Silently After a Failed Server-Side Validation
3.3.1 — Error Identification
Scenario
Setting
A used-car marketplace's listing filter
What’s wrong
Server-side validation dropping the user on a fresh form with entries cleared and errors unstated.
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 via a full server round-trip: if the page reloads with a blank form and no stated errors, it fails.
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 used-car marketplace's listing filter, this barrier is gone for everyone submitting forms — they get the same result as anyone else here.
Who is affected
Everyone submitting forms — especially screen-reader and color-blind users who miss color-only cues.
Learn more
- Understanding Understanding document (opens in a new tab)
Related scenarios
- Form Submission With No Way to Identify What Went Wrong
- Form That Fails Silently With No Error Message at All
- Form Errors Marked Only by a Red Border, With No Text
- Generic ‘There Were Errors’ Message With No Field Named
- Error Text That’s Visible but Never Announced to Screen Readers
- Error Summary That Names Fields Too Vaguely to Identify Them