2.4.5 Multiple Ways (AA)

The intent of this Success Criterion is to make it possible for users to locate content in a manner that best meets their needs. In general, a sufficient technique to pass this criterion is for a website / application to provide at least two options to find a particular page on a site, including (but not limited to):

• A consistent navigation bar on all pages.
• A site mark.
• A search functionality.

The exception exempts pages that a user would not directly navigate from any other arbitrary part of the site (such as a confirmation page shown after a form is completed, or a particular step in a checkout process).

Note: this criterion applies to "pages within a set of Web pages". WCAG 2.0 defines this as a "collection of Web pages that share a common purpose and that are created by the same author, group or organization". This allows for some subjective interpretation on the part of a tester. In general all pages within a site can be considered part of a "set of Web pages"; specific sections of a site can also be interpreted as standalone "sets" of page, meaning that here the requirement would be for consistency within the set, rather than needing to be consistent with the rest of the overall site. For instance, all pages relating purely to the checkout process in an online store usually do not feature the full navigation found in the store-front part of the site (to avoid users accidentally navigating away/out of the checkout process).

Note: if the tested page falls under the types of pages that are exempt, this criterion is marked as not applicable.

Note: if the overall site is relatively small (which is of course subjective, but generally "a handful of pages", less than 10 or so), this criterion is marked as not applicable.