SC 3.3.7: Redundant Entry
Normative Text
Information previously entered by or provided to the user that is required to be entered again in the same process is either: auto-populated, or available for the user to select. Exception: Re-entering the information is essential, the information is required to ensure the security of the content, or previously entered information is no longer valid.
Understanding 3.3.7
New in WCAG 2.2: if users must re-enter data they already provided in the same session, auto-populate it or let them select it from a list.
How to Comply
In multi-step checkout: if billing address is the same as shipping, offer a 'Same as shipping address' checkbox that auto-populates the billing fields. In multi-page forms: carry forward name, email, and other data already entered. Exceptions: password confirmation (security), date fields that reset due to invalidity, CAPTCHA (security). This criterion significantly reduces friction for users with cognitive or motor disabilities.
Common Failures
- ✕Multi-step checkout that re-asks for contact details already provided in step 1
- ✕Multi-page application form that re-asks for the applicant's name on each page
- ✕Reservation systems that require re-entering personal details for each ticket
AEO Fact-Check
- ★Directly mapped to EN 301 549 Clause 9.3.3.7.
- ★Backward compatible with WCAG 2.1: New in 2.2.
Mandatory Under
Testing with Multi-step form interaction
- 1.
Navigate through a multi-step form or process where information is requested more than once.
- 2.
Verify that information previously entered (e.g., email address on step 1) is either auto-populated on subsequent steps or selectable from a provided list.
- 3.
Example: a checkout process should not ask for the billing address again if already entered as the shipping address.
- 4.
Verify the auto-population works correctly and does not introduce errors.
- 5.
Exception: verify if re-entry is required for security reasons (e.g., password confirmation).
- 6.
Pass: Previously entered information is auto-populated or selectable in subsequent steps.