- Success Criterion 3.3.2
- Conformance level A
No Indication of Which Fields on a Form Are Required
3.3.2 — Labels or Instructions
Scenario
Setting
A government tax-filing portal
What’s wrong
Required vs — optional indication absent when both exist (no legend, no per-field marker).
Example
A tester reviewing a government tax-filing portal finds this: required vs — optional indication absent when both exist (no legend, no per-field marker).
Why it matters
Everyone filling forms, especially people with cognitive disabilities and magnifier users. On a government tax-filing portal, that means they can't tell what a field wants or why it failed.
How to test
Scan the form for required vs — optional indication: if some fields are required and none are marked (no legend, no per-field marker), it fails.
How to fix
A persistent visible label must be provided, required status must be marked visually AND programmatically (with any symbol explained), and format rules stated before input.
Outcome
With the fix in place on a government tax-filing portal, they complete the form without guessing.
Who is affected
Everyone filling forms, especially people with cognitive disabilities and magnifier users.
Learn more
- Understanding Understanding document (opens in a new tab)
Related scenarios
- Multi-Part Field Like a Phone Number With No Text Label
- Icon-Only Search Field With No Accessible Label
- Placeholder Text Used as the Only Label, Vanishing on Input
- Required Input Format Never Stated Until After an Error
- Radio Button Group Missing Its Question or Prompt Text
- Field Instructions Placed After the Field They’re Meant to Explain