WCAG 2.1 · Level AAA · Perceivable
1.3.6 Identify Purpose
Manual verification
How to validate 1.3.6 by hand
Check whether the purpose of interface components, icons, and regions can be identified programmatically where users need that information.
Start with the extension result
Reopen the reported URL and reproduce the same state (for example, after expanding a menu or submitting a form). Use the result’s Highlight action when available, or its affected-element details and CSS selector, to find the reported content. Apply the checks below to that content and its context. If the element or state has changed, rescan and record that difference before deciding whether the finding still applies.
- List components and content regions whose purpose is conveyed through a familiar visual symbol or role.
- Inspect the accessibility tree and check for a programmatic role or purpose that assistive technology can expose.
- Compare the exposed purpose with the component’s actual function, including expanded, selected, and disabled states.
Evidence to record
Record the component, its intended purpose, and the missing or contradictory programmatic information.
Scope and exceptions
This is a Level AAA criterion and concerns programmatic identification of purpose, not merely whether an image has alternative text. Check the recognized vocabulary and exceptions in the normative text.
Record the review outcome
- Confirmed: the recorded evidence shows the requirement is not met in the tested page state, and no applicable exception explains it.
- Not reproduced: the reported issue is absent in the current state. Record the URL, state, and affected element you checked; this does not prove other pages or states conform.
- Needs more review: evidence is incomplete, the content requires human judgment, or an exception is uncertain. Record what remains to be checked instead of treating it as a pass.