Rewrite for 3.3.1 Error Identification understanding document

understanding/20/error-identification.html

@@ -22,16 +22,17 @@ <h2>In brief</h2>
       <h2>Intent of Error Identification</h2>
 
 
-      <p>The intent of this Success Criterion is to ensure that users are aware that an error
-         has occurred and can determine what is wrong. The error message should be as specific
-         as possible. 
-         In the case of an unsuccessful form submission, re-displaying the form and indicating
-         the fields in error is insufficient for some users to perceive that an error has occurred.
-         Screen reader users, for example, will not know there was an error until they encounter
-         one of the indicators. They may abandon the form altogether before encountering the
-         error indicator, thinking that the page simply is not functional. Per the definition,
-         an "input error" is information provided by the user that is not accepted. This includes: 
+      <p>The intent of this success criterion is to ensure that users are aware that an error
+         has occurred and can determine what is wrong. In the case of an unsuccessful form submission,
+         it is not sufficient to only re-display the form without providing any hint that the submission
+         failed. It also won't be sufficient to merely indicate that fields are in error without providing
+         users with sufficient information about the specific nature of the error.
+         The error messages must be descriptive to help users understand what the problem is.
+         The error can be indicated in <a>text</a>, which does allow for visually apparent images or
+         icons with suitable alternative text. <a href="error-suggestion">3.3.3 Error Suggestion</a>
+         covers what the error messages should contain in certain circumstances.
       </p>
+      <p>An "input error" is information provided by the user that is not accepted. This includes:</p>
 
       <ul>
 
@@ -71,8 +72,7 @@ <h2>Intent of Error Identification</h2>
             changes that value to fall within the allowed range, the user's error would still
             need to be described to them as required by the success criterion. Such an error description
             telling the person of the changed value would meet both this success criterion (Error
-            Identification) and 
-            <a href="error-suggestion" class="understanding">Success Criterion 3.3.3 (Error Suggestion)</a>. 
+            Identification) and <a href="error-suggestion">3.3.3 Error Suggestion</a>. 
          </p>
 
       </div>
@@ -81,13 +81,20 @@ <h2>Intent of Error Identification</h2>
          that user agents or assistive technologies can use to identify an error and provide
          error information to the user. For example, certain technologies can specify that
          the user's input must not fall outside a specific range, or that a form field is required.
-         This type of programmatic information is not required for this success criterion, but may be covered
-         by other criteria such as <a href="#name-role-value">4.1.2 Name, Role, Value</a>.
-      </p>
+         Currently, few technologies support this kind of programmatic information, but this
+         success criterion does not require, nor prevent it.</p>
 
-      <p>It is perfectly acceptable to indicate the error in other ways such as image, color
-         etc, in addition to the text description. 
-      </p>
+      <p>It is perfectly acceptable to indicate the error in other ways such as through the use of an image,
+         color, or other visual indicator, in addition to the text description.</p>
+
+     <div class="note">
+         <p>This criterion does not mandate any particular way in which errors should be displayed. Depending
+            on the situation, it may be more suitable for all errors to be listed at the start or before a form.
+            In other cases, it may be more appropriate to show errors inline, with error messages next to the specific
+            fields that are in error. Errors could also be listed in an alert, or dialog. This criterion does not
+            cover which of these methods should be used - the only requirement is for errors  to be presented to users in text or a text alternative.
+         </p>
+      </div>
 
       <p>See also 
          <a href="error-suggestion">3.3.3: Error Suggestion</a>.
@@ -100,16 +107,14 @@ <h2>Benefits of Error Identification</h2>
 
       <ul>
 
-         <li> Providing information about input errors in text allows users who are blind or colorblind
-            to perceive the fact that an error occurred.  
+         <li>
+            Providing information about input errors in text allows users who are blind or color deficient (color blind) to perceive the fact that an error occurred.
          </li>
 
          <li>
-            This Success Criterion may help people with cognitive, language, and learning disabilities
-            who have difficulty understanding the meaning represented by icons and other visual
-            cues. 
-
-
+            This success criterion may help people with cognitive, language, and learning disabilities
+            who have difficulty understanding the specific reason why a form submission failed (in cases
+            where this is not already made obvious by the nature of the form).
          </li>
 
       </ul>
@@ -129,9 +134,8 @@ <h2>Examples of Error Identification</h2>
                the user which field or fields were missing or incorrect.</p>
 
             <div class="note">
-               <p>This Success Criterion does not mean that color or text styles cannot be used to indicate
-                  errors. It simply requires that errors also be identified using text. In this example,
-                  two asterisks are used in addition to color.
+               <p>This success criterion does not mean that color or text styles cannot be used to indicate
+                  errors. It simply requires that errors also be identified using text.
                </p>
             </div>
          </dd>