Identify Input Purpose
Input fields collecting information about the user (name, email, address, phone, billing) must declare their purpose using HTML autocomplete attributes.
What it requires
WCAG 2.1 SC 1.3.5 requires that user-input fields with predefined data types use the corresponding `autocomplete` attribute value (e.g., `autocomplete="email"`, `autocomplete="tel"`, `autocomplete="address-line1"`).
This helps users with motor and cognitive disabilities by enabling browser autofill, password managers, and assistive-tech extensions to identify the field's purpose. It also reduces typing burden for everyone.
Common Shopify failure
Checkout shipping address form without `autocomplete` attributes — autofill cannot pre-populate. Account signup with `autocomplete="off"` to "discourage password managers" (which is a 1.3.5 violation).
How to fix it
Add `autocomplete="email"`, `"tel"`, `"address-line1"`, `"postal-code"`, `"country"` to the corresponding fields. Remove `autocomplete="off"` on signup forms.
Merchant QA checklist
- Scan the storefront page where this pattern appears: product pages, collection pages, cart drawer, customer-account pages, and any landing page built with theme sections.
- Confirm the issue is fixed in the rendered browser output, not only in the Liquid file. Shopify section settings, app blocks, and third-party scripts can reintroduce the same 1.3.5 failure after a theme edit.
- Re-test the affected component with keyboard navigation and a screen-reader accessibility tree before publishing the theme, especially when the fix changes markup or ARIA attributes.
How AccessComply handles it
AccessComply treats WCAG 1.3.5 as a rendered-storefront issue first. The scanner checks the live DOM and computed styles, maps the finding back to the Shopify theme file that produced it, then classifies the fix as a safe automatic fix. When automation is safe, the app writes the smallest theme-code change needed and keeps the original theme backup available. When merchant judgment is required, the issue is surfaced for manual review instead of pretending the page is fixed.
Primary source: W3C — WCAG 2.1 Understanding 1.3.5