Resource guide
3.3.5 Help
Context-sensitive help must be available for forms and interactive content.
By Calling All Minds·Last updated April 2026
Success criterion
Conformance level
Enhanced accessibility — beyond the legal minimum.
What it means
At Level AAA, help must be available in context: not just a general help page, but guidance specific to the task the user is performing or the form field they are completing.
Context-sensitive help can take the form of inline explanatory text, a clearly labelled help icon that reveals more information, a link to a relevant help page, or a tooltip with field-specific guidance.
In practice
Add brief explanatory text beneath complex form fields explaining what is expected and why.
Provide links to help articles next to sections of a form that commonly cause confusion.
Use help text patterns consistently: if you use a question mark icon for help, use it the same way everywhere.
Common failures
- Complex multi-page form with no help available for any field
- Technical form where all help is located in a separate help centre with no contextual links
AXS Audit
AXS Audit checks your site against 3.3.5 and flags issues your team can act on straight away. It covers criteria that automated scanners often miss.