Kevin Potts
"Web Design and Marketing Solutions for Business Websites"
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This ensures that the user??”whether on a standard browser or a screen reader??”knows
exactly what will happen when the button is clicked. As a general rule of thumb, never use
standard
links to submit form content, as they are not proper form controls and might
be ignored by screen readers.
Clearly label required fields. Many forms require that certain fields contain content before
the form can be submitted. These are usually things like name, e-mail, message, and so
forth. There is nothing inherently wrong about this, but the design of the form must
clearly communicate exactly which fields are required and which ones are optional.
Designers need to not only indicate which ones are required, but also explain how they??™re
indicating that. For instance, it is common practice to add a small character or icon next to
the label of an obligatory field, like an asterisk. However, somewhere near the form, there
needs to be a small key explaining exactly what the asterisk indicates (see Figure 3-5 for an
example). Also keep in mind that color alone should not be used to denote a required
field; as we explored earlier in this chapter, some color combinations are impossible to tell
apart by those with certain types of visual impairment.
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