Consistent Navigation
Tier 1 · The normative floor
Baseline compliance
What the normative text of WCAG 2.2 requires, and nothing more. Only a failure of this tier is a WCAG failure.
The bare minimum
Navigation that is repeated on multiple pages within a set of pages appears in the same relative order each time, unless the user changes it.
Normative text
Verbatim from WCAG 2.2, W3C Recommendation 12 December 2024. Underlined terms are defined below.
Navigational mechanisms that are repeated on multiple web pages within a set of web pages occur in the same relative order each time they are repeated, unless a change is initiated by the user.
Not required by the normative text
Common claims that this criterion does not support. Don't log these as WCAG failures.
- Identical navigation on every page. Items can be added or removed as long as the repeated ones keep their relative order.
Definitions used (3)
Glossary definitions are normative. Their notes are informative.
- web page
-
a non-embedded resource obtained from a single URI using HTTP plus any other resources that are used in the rendering or intended to be rendered together with it by a user agent
Informative notes (2)
Although any "other resources" would be rendered together with the primary resource, they would not necessarily be rendered simultaneously with each other.
For the purposes of conformance with these guidelines, a resource must be "non-embedded" within the scope of conformance to be considered a web page.
- set of web pages
-
collection of web pages that share a common purpose and that are created by the same author, group or organization
Informative notes (1)
Different language versions would be considered different sets of web pages.
- same relative order
-
same position relative to other items
Informative notes (1)
Items are considered to be in the same relative order even if other items are inserted or removed from the original order. For example, expanding navigation menus may insert an additional level of detail or a secondary navigation section may be inserted into the reading order.
Tier 2 · The gap
Usability & user impact
Where content can meet this criterion and still make things harder for people with disabilities. These are not failures of SC 3.2.3, so raise them as usability defects. Known failures, including failures of related criteria, are listed in Tier 1.
The same order in a different place on the screen still makes users hunt for it.
Tier 3 · The golden path
Recommended best practice
The pattern that meets the floor, closes the gap, and avoids audit disputes. A recommendation, not a requirement.
Keep shared navigation in a shared layout component so its position and order are consistent.
W3C's Understanding document and techniques for SC 3.2.3 ↗ are informative: sufficient techniques show ways to pass, and documented failures show common ways to fail, but neither changes what the criterion requires.
How SC 3.2.3 maps to the WCAG 3 draft
From this site's reviewed map to the WCAG 3 editor's draft. It's an interpretation: W3C has not published a mapping.
Successor provisions
Related, not a successor
From WCAG 2.2, section 5.1: “The main content of WCAG 2.2 is normative and defines requirements that impact conformance claims. Introductory material, appendices, sections marked as "non-normative", diagrams, examples, and notes are informative (non-normative). Non-normative material provides advisory information to help interpret the guidelines but does not create requirements that impact a conformance claim.”