Evaluating a Success Criterion

Sidney Paget illustration of Sherlock Holmes from Strand Magazine, December 1892, p.646, but I added papers from his March 1893 (p.281 of Strand Magazine) illustration and then two versions of the W3C logo to the front page. When performing a WCAG evaluation (or review or audit), it’s easy to get caught up in the intent versus meaning of a particular Success Criterion. Especially when that SC was written before the interface pattern you’re poking was conceived. Until, and even when, you have built your own (potentially localized) references for how to apply an SC to whatever situation, it’s best to have a plan for how to interpret the uninterpretable. Steps This is my progressive series of steps for getting the W3C’s most current (and soon-to-be-current) position on any SC. Read the W3C’s normative text (the “official” requirements) in the WCAG spec. Always look at the latest, which is WCAG 2.2 at the time of this writing. Make sure you’re at a w3.org site, not some scammy wcag.com or…