Perspective

I made a mistake and don't know how to fix it

The interface identifies that something is wrong but does not give enough information to recover.

An error message is useful only if it helps someone understand what happened and what they can do next.

Interface demands

• Recovery
• Comprehension
• Executive processing

These describe what the interface requires from the person in this barrier. They are not disability categories and do not imply that everyone affected has the same experience.

What happens

A form may say “Invalid”, highlight a field with colour, clear entered information, or return the user to a page without explaining the problem. The user knows the task failed but cannot confidently recover.

Why it matters

Poor recovery increases repetition, cognitive load and abandonment. It can be especially costly when a process is long, consequential or contains information that is difficult to re-enter.

How to test it

Deliberately make realistic mistakes. Check whether the error is identified in text, associated with the relevant field or step, discoverable through assistive technology, and specific enough to support correction. Confirm valid information is retained where appropriate.

Can automation detect it?

Partially. Tools can find some missing labels, relationships and invalid-state patterns. They cannot reliably determine whether recovery instructions are understandable or sufficient.

Relevant WCAG

Relevant criteria can include 3.3.1 Error Identification, 3.3.3 Error Suggestion, and for some consequential processes 3.3.4 Error Prevention (Legal, Financial, Data).

Standards & guidance

• WCAG 2.2: error-related criteria may apply depending on what is identified, suggested and required by the task.
• W3C Cognitive Accessibility Supplemental Guidance: Help Users Avoid Mistakes and Know How to Correct Them — includes recovery, undo, clear errors and avoiding data loss.

What a pass does not prove

A technically associated error message does not prove that the person understands the terminology, can recover without losing work, or knows what will happen after correction.

Follow the evidence trail

• Standards: 3.3.1 Error Identification and, where applicable, 3.3.3 Error Suggestion
• Test it: Testing errors means testing recovery
• Try it: An error happened. Now what?
• Evidence limit: conformance does not establish that recovery language is understandable or that valid work is preserved well.