Rewrite for 3.3.1 Error Identification understanding document

understanding/20/error-identification.html

@@ -14,14 +14,13 @@ <h2>Intent of Error Identification</h2>
 
 
       <p>The intent of this Success Criterion is to ensure that users are aware that an error
-         has occurred and can determine what is wrong. The error message should be as specific
-         as possible. 
-         						In the case of an unsuccessful form submission, re-displaying the form and indicating
-         the fields in error is insufficient for some users to perceive that an error has occurred.
-         Screen reader users, for example, will not know there was an error until they encounter
-         one of the indicators. They may abandon the form altogether before encountering the
-         error indicator, thinking that the page simply is not functional. Per the definition in WCAG 2.0, an "input error" is information provided by the user
-         that is not accepted. This includes: 
+         has occurred and can determine what is wrong. In the case of an unsuccessful form submission,
+         it is not sufficient to only re-display the form without providing any hint that the submission
+         failed. It also won't be sufficient to merely indicate that fields are in error, but not providing
+         users with sufficient information about the specific nature of the error. The error messages should
+         be descriptive, helping users understand what the problem was.
+      </p>
+      <p>An "input error" is information provided by the user that is not accepted. This includes: 
       </p>
 
       <ul>
@@ -62,8 +61,7 @@ <h2>Intent of Error Identification</h2>
             changes that value to fall within the allowed range, the user's error would still
             need to be described to them as required by the success criterion. Such an error description
             telling the person of the changed value would meet both this success criterion (Error
-            Identification) and 
-            <a href="error-suggestion" class="understanding">Success Criterion 3.3.3 (Error Suggestion)</a>. 
+            Identification) and <a href="error-suggestion">3.3.3 Error Suggestion</a>. 
          </p>
 
       </div>
@@ -72,20 +70,36 @@ <h2>Intent of Error Identification</h2>
          that user agents or assistive technologies can use to identify an error and provide
          error information to the user. For example, certain technologies can specify that
          the user's input must not fall outside a specific range, or that a form field is required.
-         Currently, few technologies support this kind of programmatic information, but the
-         Success Criterion does not require, nor prevent it.
-
+         Currently, few technologies support this kind of programmatic information, but this
+         Success Criterion does not require, nor prevent it. However, other Success Criteria may apply - for
+         instance, the programmatic identification of form controls/inputs that are in error is covered
+         more specifically in <a href="name=role-value">4.1.2 Name, Role, Value</a>, and whether or not
+         error messages are programmatically linked to their respective form controls/inputs is covered
+         by <a href="info-and-relationships">1.3.1 Info and Relationships</a>.
       </p>
 
       <p>It is perfectly acceptable to indicate the error in other ways such as image, color
-         etc, in addition to the text description. 
-
+         etc, in addition to the text description.
       </p>
-
-      <p>See also 
-         <a href="error-suggestion">3.3.1: Error Suggestion</a>.
+      <p>There may also be situations in which it is clear from the context what the specific error
+         is - for instance, in a simple login form with a username and password field, if a user
+         leaves one of the fields completely blank, simply indicating that the empty field is in
+         error using an image or icon (with appropriate alternative text) would be sufficient.
+         However, if the user did enter data in both of those fields, and login was unsuccessful, further
+         information and an actual specific error message will be required (e.g. "no account found with this
+         username", or "the username or password are incorrect"). Likewise, in a form that explicitly indicates
+         that all fields are mandatory/required, it will be sufficient to indicate empty fields as being in error,
+         without the need to reiterate that the user must fill in the field. 
       </p>
-
+      <div class="note">
+         <p>This criterion does not mandate any particular way in which errors should be displayed. Depending
+            on the situation, it may be more suitable for all errors to be listed at the start, or before, a form.
+            In other cases, it may be more appropriate to show errors inline, with error messages next the specific
+            fields that are in error. Errors could also be listed in an alert, or dialog. This criterion does not
+            cover which of these methods should be used - the only requirement is for errors (which are not already
+            clear from the specific nature/context of the input fields) to be presented to users in text or alt text.
+         </p>
+      </div>
 
    </section>
    <section id="benefits">
@@ -94,16 +108,14 @@ <h2>Benefits of Error Identification</h2>
 
       <ul>
 
-         <li> Providing information about input errors in text allows users who are blind or colorblind
-            to perceive the fact that an error occurred.  
+         <li>
+            Providing information about input errors in text allows users who are blind or colorblind to perceive the fact that an error occurred.
          </li>
 
          <li>
             This Success Criterion may help people with cognitive, language, and learning disabilities
-            who have difficulty understanding the meaning represented by icons and other visual
-            cues. 
-
-
+            who have difficulty understanding the specific reason why a form submission failed (in cases
+            where this is not already made obvious by the nature of the form).
          </li>
 
       </ul>
@@ -137,8 +149,7 @@ <h2>Examples of Error Identification</h2>
             <div class="note">
 
                <p>This Success Criterion does not mean that color or text styles cannot be used to indicate
-                  errors. It simply requires that errors also be identified using text. In this example,
-                  two asterisks are used in addition to color.
+                  errors. It simply requires that errors also be identified using text.
                </p>
 
             </div>