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The WCAG Primer is intended for use by the UK cross government accessibility community.

3.2.4 Consistent Identification (AA)

Understanding 3.2.4 Consistent Identification (AA)

When features with the same functionality are used in multiple places, they must be identified in a consistent way. This helps screen reader users correctly identify the type and purpose of the functionality.

Requirements / What to do?

  • An icon has the same alternative text wherever it is used;
  • Buttons for “Next”, “Previous”, and “Continue”, are labelled consistently wherever they are used;
  • Form fields with the same purpose are consistently labelled wherever they are used.

Common mistakes

  • An icon is used to denote a file download, but has a different alternate text whenever it is used;
  • A search facility is provided on every page, but the text field and button have different labels on each page.

Useful resources

  • TBC.