Perceivable · Level A · 1.3.3
Sensory Characteristics
Instructions for using content can't rely on shape, color, size, visual location, orientation, or sound as the only way to identify something — there needs to be a text-based identifier alongside the sensory cue, not instead of it.
- Blind
- Low vision
- Deaf / hard of hearing
- Cognitive
How to recognize it
Look for instructions that describe how to do something purely in terms of what it looks or sounds like: 'select the round button to continue,' 'options are listed in the box on the right,' 'a beep means your changes were saved.' Anyone blind or with low vision can't act on shape or on-screen position at all, and a sound-only cue leaves out anyone deaf or hard of hearing. It also trips up people with cognitive limitations if the sensory description isn't reinforced by something concrete they can hold onto, like a name or a label. Note this criterion doesn't ban using shape, color, or position as a cue — it bans using them as the *only* cue.
How to fix it
Keep the sensory cue if it's genuinely helpful — color and shape do speed up scanning for a lot of people — but always pair it with a text identifier: a name, a label, a position expressed in text as well as visually. 'Select the green Next arrow in the lower-right corner' still mentions color and position, but it also names the button, so someone who can't perceive color or position can still act on it. A save confirmation should show a text message, not just play a sound.
Example
Avoid
<p>To continue, select the round button.</p>
<!-- no name given, only shape --><p>Choose an option from the box on the right.</p>
<!-- identified only by screen position -->Prefer
<p>To continue, select the green arrow icon labeled "Next" in the lower right corner.</p><p>Choose a shipping method from the "Delivery options" panel.</p>