Success Criterion 2.4.8 (Level AAA)


Can the user determine their location on your web site or application based on the page content, navigation, or other focus indicators?

Why is this important

People with cognitive disabilities may become confused or disoriented when navigating a website with a large number of pages and there is no indication of where they are on the site. It is important to provide site navigation with focus or a “breadcrumb trail” to help the user understand where they are.

This is also helpful when a user is given a link that leads into sub-pages of a site and they need to understand where they are on the website to further navigate.

Whom does it benefit?

Example 1:

As a person with a short attention span when reading digital content,
I want to easily identify my location in the site
so that I can switch back and forth between pages without losing my original starting point.

Example 2:

As a person with a cognitive disability,
I want to use a site map with links to all website pages
so that I can easily go to various pages without having to use a confusion or lengthy navigation menu.

What should you do?

  • To help users orient themselves easily, provide accurate and consistent navigation across the site or application links to the home page on all pages.
  • Design elements can help users differentiate types of content (e.g., all topic titles in the same location on the web page and in standardized font type).

How do you do it?

  • Show current location within navigation bar
  • Provide a site map
  • Provide a breadcrumb trail
  • Ensure the search feature works

Need technical guidance?

Additional Resources to help you: