CRITICALWCAG 4.1.3 AA
No Error Announcement
Validation errors appear visually but are not announced to screen readers, leaving users unaware of failure.
Try It Yourself
Demo warning
Errors exist visually but there is no programmatic announcement or focus shift.
Submit the form and listen to the SR transcript. Notice there is no error announcement.
Manual Testing Protocol
Follow this sequence to reproduce the failure consistently and verify the fix with the same workflow.
1. Setup
- Enable screen reader simulation.
- Focus the submit button before interacting with inputs.
2. Reproduction Steps
- Submit the form with empty fields.
- Listen for any announced error or status message.
- Attempt to correct errors without visual cues.
3. Expected Failure Signals
- No error announcement is made to assistive tech.
- Screen reader output remains unchanged despite validation failure.
- User does not know why submission failed.
4. Fix Verification
- Error messages are announced via aria-live or focus shift.
- Inputs reference errors using aria-describedby.
- Status messages are programmatically determinable.
Evidence Capture Checklist
- Record the exact user goal that fails (for example: submit form, complete checkout, navigate menu).
- Capture screen recording + keyboard path from first interaction to failure state.
- Map failure to WCAG 4.1.3 (Level AA) and affected user groups.
- Document business impact: conversion loss, support burden, legal/compliance risk, or trust damage.
The Impact
What Happens
- Screen reader users do not realize submission failed
- Users retry without knowing what to fix
- Task completion stalls with no explanation
Who Gets Hurt
Screen reader users
Users needing explicit feedback
Keyboard-only users
The Broken Code
<form>
<input id="email" />
<div class="error">Email is required.</div>
<!-- Missing aria-live and aria-describedby -->
</form>WCAG 4.1.3: Reference
"Status messages can be programmatically determined through role or properties such that they can be presented to the user by assistive technologies."
Level AA - If errors are silent, users believe the system is broken or ignore required corrections.
Related Critical Issues
Explore neighboring failures in the same severity band.
WCAG 2.1.2 A
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Keyboard Trap
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WCAG 2.1.2 A
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WCAG 1.1.1 A
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Missing Alt on Functional Images
Image buttons and links with no text alternatives
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