Understandable · Level A · 3.3.7
Redundant Entry
Within a multi-step process, information the user already entered shouldn't have to be typed again — it should either be auto-filled or offered as a selectable option — because retyping the same thing more than once is unnecessary friction, and for some users a genuine barrier.
- Cognitive
- Motor
How to recognize it
Step through a multi-step form or checkout flow and see whether it ever asks for the same piece of information twice — a shipping address entered on one step, then asked for again as a billing address on a later step with no 'same as shipping' option, no autofill, nothing carrying it forward. This is a real burden for people with cognitive disabilities or memory difficulties, who may not reliably recall exactly what they typed a few steps earlier and now have to either scroll back to check or risk a mismatch; it's also a burden for people using switch control or voice input, where every character of re-entry costs disproportionately more effort than it does for someone typing normally.
How to fix it
Carry previously entered information forward automatically, or offer it as a one-click selectable option ('Same as shipping address') rather than requiring it to be typed again. A few things are legitimately exempt: re-entry that's essential to the task itself (a memory-training exercise where re-entry is the point), a security-sensitive re-entry like confirming a password, or a case where the previously entered value may no longer be valid and genuinely needs to be re-verified.
Example
Avoid
<!-- step 2: billing address form, fully blank, despite matching shipping address entered in step 1 -->
<input name="billing-address">Prefer
<label><input type="checkbox" onchange="copyShippingToBilling(this.checked)"> Billing address same as shipping</label>
<input name="billing-address" value="">