University IT
17. Meaningful Links and Buttons
Requirement
Hyperlinks and buttons have unique or descriptive text. The purpose of the link or button can be determined from its text.
Evaluation Process
All interactive controls, such as links and buttons, must have an accessible name that is unique and clearly describes their function or destination. Vague labels like "Click Here" or "More Information" should not be used as they do not specify the destination or outcome after activation. Consider the following guidelines:
- Programmatic Name: Do not rely on visible text alone. The accessible name, which is announced by assistive technology, can be set programmatically and may not be visible. Use a tool like ANDI to inspect the true accessible name of every control.
- Label Consistency: The visible text label of a control must also be a part of its accessible name. For instance, a button visibly labeled "Add to Cart" could have an accessible name of "Add Product X to Cart," but not simply "Product X."
When performing the tests in 1. Automated Test, a link or button may be identfiied as having no calculated text equivalent. Additionally, when examining link text using ANDI, some elements may display a text-string such as an image file name. This should be reported as a fail if discovered during the automated test.
Scoring Guide
- Pass: All buttons and links have a unique accessible name that is informative.
- Partial Fail: Most links and buttons are informative and unique.
- Fail: Automated tests indicate there are links without meaningful text or there are numerous links and buttons that have the same text on a page.
- Not Applicable / Unknown: These should not be used.
