• Success Criterion 3.3.7
  • Conformance level A

Validation Error That Wipes Out Other Already-Valid Fields

3.3.7 — Redundant Entry

Scenario

Setting

A calendar app's event-creation form

What’s wrong

Error recovery wiping unrelated valid fields, forcing redundant re-entry.

Example 

function onValidationError() {
  eventForm.reset(); // clears title, location, attendees, and description, not just the one bad date field
  showError('Invalid date');
}

Why it matters

A user who mistypes only the event date loses the title, location, and guest list they'd already carefully filled in.

How to test

Trigger a validation error on one field: if it wipes other, unrelated valid fields and forces their re-entry too, it fails.

How to fix

Validate and clear only the field that actually failed, never the whole form.

function onValidationError(fieldName) {
  showFieldError(fieldName, 'Invalid date'); // only the failing field is flagged
  // title, location, attendees, and description remain untouched
}

Outcome

The user fixes just the date and the rest of the event details stay exactly as they typed them.

Who is affected

People with cognitive disabilities and motor impairments who find having to redo unrelated work after a single small mistake especially discouraging.

Learn more

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