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When you design forms for a wide audience, you should consider
that some users may have disabilities that affect how they interact
with the form. Some users may have vision impairment, reduced mobility,
or other disabilities. To accommodate the needs of all users, you
may find it worthwhile to include certain practical design features
in your forms and to test forms using various assistive technologies.
Tips for designing accessible formsHere are some tips for
designing accessible forms:
A form is not accessible
if it is not easy to use. You should try to design forms that are
simple and usable. A simple layout of controls and fields with clear, meaningful
captions and tool tips will make the form much easier for all users to
fill.
Designing forms that are uncluttered and logically arranged,
and that provide clear and simple instructions, will help all users
to fill forms as easily as possible. Navigation features, such as
the tabbing order and keyboard shortcuts, should support the logical
order of objects on the form. The caption for a field should be
on the same line as the field’s fillable area. Place captions consistently
on the same side of the fields.
Users work better with forms that reduce the possibility
of making mistakes. Clear and concise error messages will help users
fix any mistakes that they do make.
Choose objects that make the form easy to use. For example,
when used properly, tables are an effective way to organize and
present tabular information. Avoid overly complex tables, such as
those with nested tables and sections.
Users should be able to fill the form completely using only
the keyboard or an equivalent input device. Users with reduced mobility
or impaired vision may have no choice but to use the keyboard, and
many users who can use a mouse simply prefer keyboard input. By
allowing various input methods, you not only create accessible forms,
you also create forms that are better suited to the preferences
of all users.
Design your form to interact normally with other applications
and system standards. For example, you could support standard Windows
Control Panel settings for colors and use standard keyboard behavior.
A well-designed form will be compatible with various assistive
technologies. You should familiarize yourself with how these technologies
work and use design techniques and user interface elements that
are compatible with a wide range of assistive technologies.
Color can greatly enhance a user experience with your form
but only if it used properly. Colors can emphasize and enhance certain
parts of your form, but you should not convey information by color
alone. Large amounts of color may cause eye pain. Too much color
can obscure foreground text. High-contrast colors, such as the default
settings of black on a white background, are recommended.
Images may help improve comprehension for users with some
types of disabilities, However, many screen readers do not read
graphics, which may decrease the accessibility of your form for
users with vision impairments. If you choose to use images, provide
text descriptions that describe the object and its purpose on the
form.
Be aware that client-side scripts can interfere with screen
readers and keyboards if the script changes the focus of the client
application. For example, the change and mouseEnter events, when
used with drop-down lists or list boxes, have the potential to cause
inappropriate actions. Client-side scripting should be written to
avoid problems with screen readers and keyboards. Similarly, avoid
scripting events that cause visual effects, such as blinking text,
which may increase readability issues for users.
Radio
buttons are often misinterpreted, or difficult for users with disabilities
to access on HTML forms because web browsers and screen readers
treat them inconsistently. Avoid using radio buttons for HTML forms
if you can use a list box instead.
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