Users often make mistakes not because they are careless, but because they do not fully understand what a task requires while they are performing it.
For users with cognitive disabilities, learning disabilities, memory limitations, or reduced attention, having to leave a task to search for instructions can be enough to cause confusion, errors, or abandonment. Even users without disabilities may struggle when instructions are separated from the point of action.
WCAG 3.3.5 addresses this problem by requiring context-sensitive help, help that is available at the moment it is needed, without forcing users to lose their place or context.
WCAG Success Criterion
3.3.5 Help (Level AAA)
Context-sensitive help is available.
This is a Level AAA success criterion. It is not required for Level A or AA conformance, but it provides critical support for users who are more likely to make mistakes when instructions are unclear, incomplete, or difficult to recall.
What This Criterion Requires
If a task is not fully self-explanatory, users must be able to get help while performing the task, not before and not after.
That help must:
- Be relevant to the current field, control, or step
- Be available without navigating away from the task
- Be discoverable when the user needs it
This criterion does not require help everywhere. It applies when labels or instructions alone are not enough to explain how something works.
What “Context-Sensitive Help” Means
Context-sensitive help provides guidance that is:
- Specific to the current action
- Available on demand
- Presented without disrupting the task
Examples include:
- Help links or buttons next to form fields
- Inline explanations that can be expanded when needed
- Instructions tied to a specific step in a multi-step process
Context-sensitive help is different from:
- Global help pages
- FAQs unrelated to the current task
- Error messages are shown only after failure
Those can be useful, but they do not meet this criterion on their own.
When Help Is Required
Help is required when users are likely to misunderstand:
- What information is being requested
- How to format input correctly
- What consequences an action may have
- How to complete a step successfully
If a label like “Identification Number” or “Eligibility Status” is ambiguous, help must be available to explain what is expected. If the label alone is sufficient, additional help is not required.
What Does Not Meet This Criterion
The following patterns often appear helpful, but fail WCAG 3.3.5:
- Instructions provided only on a separate help page
- Tooltips that appear on hover only
- Placeholder text used as the sole explanation
- Help text that disappears once users begin typing
- Instructions that require users to scroll away from the task
If users must remember instructions while navigating elsewhere, the help is no longer context-sensitive.
Common Implementation Mistakes
These failures appear frequently in AAA audits:
- Help links that open in new windows without warning
- Icons without text labels or accessible names
- Contextual help that is not keyboard-accessible
- Help content that is not announced to screen readers
- Instructions provided only after an error occurs
Help that users cannot perceive, reach, or understand is effectively unavailable.
Accessibility Considerations
For context-sensitive help to work for assistive technology users:
- Help must be available via keyboard
- Screen readers must be able to announce the help content
- The relationship between the control and its help must be programmatically clear
- Users must be able to return to the task without losing focus or progress
Help mechanisms that rely only on visual cues or mouse interaction often exclude the users this criterion is meant to support.
Relationship to Other Error Criteria
- 3.3.1 Error Identification
Tells users something went wrong. - 3.3.3 Error Suggestion
Tells users how to fix it. - 3.3.5 Help
Helps users avoid the mistake entirely.
Help is preventative. It reduces errors before they happen, rather than responding after failure.
Examples
Passing Example: Job Application Form
A job application includes ambiguous questions about employment eligibility. Each question includes a visible “Help” link that explains the requirement in plain language without navigating away from the form.
Failing Example
A form includes unclear questions and provides a single “Help” page linked in the footer. Users must leave the form, read instructions, and return, often forgetting what they learned.
How This Is Typically Evaluated
Manual testing focuses on:
- Whether help exists at the point of need
- Whether users can access help without leaving the task
- Whether help content is perceivable to assistive technologies
- Whether the help explains the task clearly enough to prevent errors
Automated testing cannot reliably detect compliance with this criterion.
Benefits
Context-sensitive help supports users who:
- Have cognitive or learning disabilities
- Experience memory or attention limitations
- Are new to complex workflows
- Are aging and may struggle with recall or precision
It also reduces form abandonment, repeated errors, and support requests.
Wrapping Up
WCAG 3.3.5 does not require constant guidance or excessive instruction. It requires help at the moment it matters. When users are performing a task and uncertainty arises, forcing them to leave their context increases the risk of mistakes. Context-sensitive help keeps users oriented, confident, and capable of completing tasks successfully.
While this is a Level AAA requirement, it represents one of the clearest examples of accessibility improving usability for everyone, not just compliance.
