- Success Criterion 3.3.2
- Conformance level A
Character Limit Enforced but Never Communicated to Users
3.3.2 — Labels or Instructions
Scenario
Setting
A hospital's patient portal appointment scheduler
What’s wrong
Character limits enforced but never communicated.
Example
Try this on a hospital's patient portal appointment scheduler: character limits enforced but never communicated.
Why it matters
Everyone filling forms, especially people with cognitive disabilities and magnifier users. The practical effect on a hospital's patient portal appointment scheduler: they can't tell what a field wants or why it failed.
How to test
Type past any enforced character limit: if the field silently stops accepting input with no stated limit anywhere, 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
That one change on a hospital's patient portal appointment scheduler means they see exactly what went wrong and how to fix it.
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
- No Indication of Which Fields on a Form Are Required
- Radio Button Group Missing Its Question or Prompt Text