Consistent Identification
Components with the same functionality across a site must be identified consistently — same label, same icon, same accessible name. Two buttons that do the same thing should not be called Search on one page and Find on another.
What it asks
When two user-interface components perform the same function across a site, they must be identified consistently. That means the same accessible name (label, aria-label, alt text), the same icon, and matching visual treatment — so the user can recognise “this is the same action I took two pages ago.”
The rule is about labelling, not styling. A submit button can be visually emphasised differently in different contexts, but the accessible name “Submit” should not become “Send” elsewhere when it does the same thing.
How to meet it
- Maintain a small vocabulary of action verbs (“Save”, “Cancel”, “Delete”, “Search”) and apply them site-wide.
- Use the same icon for the same action everywhere — one search glyph, not three.
- When an icon represents an action, give it the same accessible name across pages.
- Use a design-system component (
<Button label="Save">) rather than hand-coding labels per page. - Audit your site for synonyms: “Send” vs. “Submit”, “Search” vs. “Find”, “Sign in” vs. “Log in”, “Sign up” vs. “Register”.
Common failures
- Two icons representing the same action with two different accessible names (“Edit” on one screen, “Modify” on another).
- A search input labelled “Search” in the header and “Find content” in the sidebar.
- A “Delete” button on the list view and a “Remove” button on the detail view — same effect, different word.
- Inconsistent CTA copy: “Buy now” on the product page, “Add to cart” on the listing page, for what is functionally the same action.
Why it matters
Screen-reader users navigate by skimming a list of links or buttons. If the same action is labelled differently across the site, they cannot pattern-match — they have to read every label fresh and reason about whether this “Send” is the same as that “Submit.” For users with cognitive disabilities, consistent identification is one of the biggest comprehension aids you can offer.
This SC is enforced by treating UI copy and icons as first-class design tokens, not as content that each writer decides individually.