error-prevention

Description

The error-prevention rule ensures that users can avoid incorrect submissions, particularly in contexts involving legal, financial, or other critical data. This rule is crucial for preventing errors that could have significant consequences for users, such as financial loss or legal issues.

The rule aligns with WCAG Success Criterion 3.3.4 (Error Prevention), which requires that users have the ability to review, confirm, or correct information before (or after) finalizing a submission. This is especially important for transactions that involve legal commitments, financial transactions, or the modification or deletion of data used for user identification.

Examples

In the following example, a user is required to submit a financial transaction without any opportunity to review or confirm the details. This violates the error-prevention rule because the user cannot avoid an incorrect submission.

In the following corrected example, the user is provided with a confirmation step to review the details before finalizing the transaction. This ensures that the user can avoid incorrect submissions.

How to fix?

To fix violations of the error-prevention rule, follow these steps:

1. Identify all forms or processes that involve critical submissions, such as financial transactions or legal agreements.
2. Implement a review or confirmation step that allows users to verify the information before final submission. Else, ensure that the step can be reversed or cancelled after the form is submitted.
3. Provide clear instructions and feedback to help users correct any errors before submitting.
4. If possible, ensure that users can easily navigate back to make changes if needed.

Reference

WCAG Success Criterion 3.3.4: Error Prevention (Legal, Financial, Data)