- Success Criterion 1.3.1
- Conformance level A
- W3C reference F48
Tabular Data Placed Inside a Preformatted Text Block
1.3.1 — Info and Relationships
Scenario
Setting
An online clothing store's product listing page
What’s wrong
Tabular data is shown inside a <pre> block (fixed-width text) instead of a real table — no headers or cell navigation for screen readers.
Example
<div class="heading">Shipping Address</div>Why it matters
Screen-reader, braille, and reading-tool users who depend on coded structure rather than visual layout.
How to test
Inspect any pre block holding column-aligned data: if it's meant to be a table, a screen reader reads it as one run-on line with no cell/header navigation.
How to fix
Use a real table element with headers instead of a pre block.
<h2>Shipping Address</h2>A real heading element exposes the section structure to assistive tech; a styled div doesn't.
Outcome
On an online clothing store's product listing page, this barrier is gone for screen-reader, braille — they can complete the task without hitting this wall.
Who is affected
Screen-reader, braille, and reading-tool users who depend on coded structure rather than visual layout.
Learn more
- Understanding Understanding document (opens in a new tab)
- Technique Related technique (opens in a new tab)
Related scenarios
- Text Styled to Look Like a Heading Instead of Coded as One
- Text Columns Faked With Spaces Instead of Real Table Markup
- Table Layout Faked With Spaces Instead of Real Table Code
- Clickable Div Acting as a Link Button With No Real Role
- Structural HTML Tags Used Purely for Visual Styling
- Layout-Only Table Wrongly Coded With Real Header Cells