WCAG 2.0 · Level A · Understandable
3.3.2 Labels or Instructions
Provide labels or instructions when content requires user input. People need to know what information a field expects and how to complete controls that have choices or specific requirements.
Manual verification
How to validate 3.3.2 by hand
Check that labels or instructions are provided when content requires user input.
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.
- Complete forms using only the visible and programmatic labels/instructions.
- Check required formats, allowed values, required fields, and group instructions before submitting.
- Repeat with a screen reader and verify instructions are announced with the related fields.
Evidence to record
Record the field or group, the information needed to enter a valid value, and where that information is provided or missing.
Scope and exceptions
The criterion does not require a specific label design, but the label or instruction must be available when needed. Error identification after submission is a separate criterion.
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.
Why it matters
Clear input guidance helps people complete forms, including people with cognitive, language, or memory disabilities. It also reduces avoidable errors for everyone.
Examples and distinctions
Identify a field
A visible label such as “Email address” tells people what to enter in the adjacent field.
Explain a requirement
If a password needs a particular format, give the instruction where people can find it before or while entering the password.
Label choices
Give radio buttons and checkboxes text that identifies the meaning of each available choice.