- 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
<span class="error">Invalid input</span>Why it matters
People with cognitive disabilities and anyone stalled by vague validation messages.
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.
<span class="error">Enter a year between 1990 and 2026</span>Error text should suggest the fix — the expected format or valid range — not just flag that something's wrong.
Outcome
On a podcast app's episode list, this barrier is gone for people with cognitive disabilities and anyone stalled by vague validation messages — they no longer have to work around this.
Who is affected
People with cognitive disabilities and anyone stalled by vague validation messages.
Learn more
- Understanding Understanding document (opens in a new tab)
Related scenarios
- Rejected Input With No Guidance on How to Fix It
- Invalid Entry Message With No Hint at the Expected Format
- Rejected Date Entry With No Explanation of the Expected Format
- Rejected Password With No List of the Unmet Requirements
- Taken Username With No Suggested Alternatives Offered
- Rejected File Upload With No Stated Size or Type Limits