Protocol
Keep the headers attached when the table leaves your screen
Bold text is not a relationship.
When it fits
- A table is readable visually but confusing with assistive technology or after export.
When to avoid it
- Complex tables may need a simpler alternative. A correct source document does not guarantee that an export preserves its structure.
Why it matters
Identify the row and column headers that give each value its meaning. Represent those associations semantically in the chosen format, and check the exported result separately. Keep complex headings only when the task genuinely needs them.
Steps
- Name what a reader must know to interpret a data cell.
- Use appropriate header associations and a useful table description or caption.
- Inspect representative cells in the delivered format, including cells under grouped headings.
An example
A status table must preserve both the business unit and reporting period for each value, not merely bold the top row.
Check your result
Can a non-visual reader recover the relevant headers while moving through the table?
Keep this limit in mind
- Complex tables may need a simpler alternative. A correct source document does not guarantee that an export preserves its structure.
Connected ideas
Useful withGive the colour a second way to speak
Evidence and sources
Supports
WAI table guidance uses semantic header and data-cell relationships so table structure is available beyond visual presentation.
Complex tables and exports need format-specific verification; bold text is not a semantic header.
Tables Tutorial · Table structure and header associations.