WCAG 2.0 · Level AAA · Understandable
3.3.5 Help
Manual verification
How to validate 3.3.5 by hand
At Level AAA, check whether context-sensitive help is available for tasks that may confuse users or cause mistakes.
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.
- Identify complex or high-risk input tasks where users may need additional explanation.
- Look for help text, examples, contact information, or context-sensitive guidance near the task.
- Use the help and return to the task; confirm it explains how to complete the input without losing entered data.
Evidence to record
Record the task, likely point of confusion, help mechanism, and whether it answers the question in context.
Scope and exceptions
This is a Level AAA criterion and does not prescribe one help format for every input. Evaluate whether help is available when it would be useful.
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.