Forms - Section 7
A form can be difficult to use if it is long or complex, especially for people who have problems reading.
Although the flow of a form can make sense when viewed visually, it may be completely incomprehensible for people who use alternative devices (e.g. Screen readers, braille output devices).
Forms must be properly structured and optimised to support access technologies.
adequate error prevention and good error messages are also very important.
In this section:
- DEV 7.1 Simplify form design, use good spacing, sensible grouping and labels for every element
- DEV 7.2 Provide labels for every form element, place correctly, explicitly associate
- DEV 7.3 Enhance forms with special HTML mark up
- DEV 7.4 Prevent errors and assist recovery from errors by providing supportive information
Before you begin creating your form, take time to plan and design it carefully. a form with good layout and that is easy to use will benefit all users.
Video clip
Watch a screen reader user shows some aspects of navigating a form.
Alternative formats
If you experience any problems viewing the video above or wish to download a copy to your desktop select one of the alternative formats below.
- windows media (720x480, 1.4mb)| download windows mediaplayer
- quicktime avi (720x480, 8.4mb)| download quicktime player
- quicktime avi with captions (720x480, 3.4mb, zipped)|download quicktime player
- real media (720x480, 792kb)| download real media player
- transcript (??kb)
Before you begin creating your form, take time to plan and design it carefully. A form with good layout and that is easy to use will benefit all users.