- Success Criterion 3.3.3
- Conformance level AA
Error Suggestion Available Only as a Hover-Triggered Tooltip
3.3.3 — Error Suggestion
Scenario
Setting
A podcast app's episode list
What’s wrong
Error suggestions rendered only visually as tooltip on hover of an icon.
Example
During an audit of a podcast app's episode list: error suggestions rendered only visually as tooltip on hover of an icon.
Why it matters
People with cognitive disabilities and anyone stalled by vague validation messages. On a podcast app's episode list, that means they lose their progress and have to start over.
How to test
Trigger an error and check if the suggestion is available: if it's shown only as a hover tooltip on an icon (not reachable by keyboard or screen reader), it fails.
How to fix
The error message must tell the user how to fix the problem — the expected format, range, or valid options.
Outcome
With the fix in place on a podcast app's episode list, they complete the form without guessing.
Who is affected
People with cognitive disabilities and anyone stalled by vague validation messages.
Learn more
- Understanding Understanding document (opens in a new tab)
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