Process requires a user to re-enter information

Rule

A multi-step process MUST NOT require a user to re-enter information that they have already entered or that was provided to them during the process. Exceptions exist.

Background

Requiring people to recall and re-enter information already entered in the previous steps can cause people, especially people with cognitive or memory difficulties, to give up or enter incorrect information. Information needed more than one time in process should be auto-populated or able to be selected or copied. This will aid people in completing processes with a lower chance of making mistakes or abandoning a task.

How to Fix

Fix this issue by ensuring that throughout the process, the user is not asked to enter the same data twice. If data needs to be repeated in different steps of the process, options to satisfy the requirement include techniques such as:

a. Auto-populating the data b. Allowing selection of data in a dropdown c. Allowing text on the same screen to be copied and pasted d. Providing a checkbox to populate inputs with the same values as previously entered (e.g., my billing address is the same as my shipping address)

This Success Criterion does not require the web content / application to remember user information between sessions. However, when a process can run across different domains, such as a check-out process that includes a 3rd party payment provider, users must not be required to enter data twice even across domains that are part of the same process.