Forms people can fill in

Forms are how residents get things done: apply for a permit, register for a program, report a pothole, request records. A form that does not work with a screen reader, a keyboard or a phone is a closed counter window.

Many form problems are built into the site by developers. Editors add forms more often than they used to, through form builders in WordPress, Drupal and online form services. This lesson covers what you control.

Every field needs a visible label

A label is the text that names a field: "First name," "Street address," "Date of birth." It must be visible and connected to its field, so a screen reader announces it when the field is selected. Form builders do the connecting when you use their label setting.

In the 2026 WebAIM Million, 51 percent of the top one million home pages had form fields missing labels.

Placeholder text is not a label. The gray hint inside an empty box disappears as soon as someone types, is often too faint to read, and is not reliably announced. Use a real label; use the placeholder only for an example, if at all.

Instructions before the field

Put what people need to know before they start:

• the format: "Date of birth (MM/DD/YYYY)"
• the limits: "Upload a photo, JPG or PNG, up to 5 MB"
• what to have ready, at the top of the form: "You will need your account number from your water bill."

Instructions that only appear after an error make people fail first.

Required fields, in words

Mark required fields with the word "required" in the label, or explain a symbol once at the top: "Fields marked with * are required." Never mark them only with color. Lesson 5 covers why.

Better still, ask only for what you need. Every optional field you remove is one fewer chance to get stuck.

Errors that say how to fix them

WCAG 2.1 requires that errors be identified in text and, where possible, that the form suggest a fix. Most form builders let you edit error messages. Make each one name the field and the fix:

• Instead of "Invalid input," write "Enter your phone number with the area code, for example 703-555-0100."
• Instead of "Error," write "Choose a pickup date."

Keep what the person already entered when the form shows errors. Making them start over is a common reason people give up.

Group related questions

A question with several choices, such as "Which days can you volunteer?", should be a group with its own question as the group's label. Form builders usually do this for radio buttons and checkboxes when you use their "question" or "legend" setting instead of a separate text line.

Test it like a resident

Before you publish a form, fill it in twice:

1. With only the keyboard. Tab moves between fields, Space checks boxes, arrow keys move between radio buttons, Enter submits. If you get stuck, so will others.
2. On your phone. Check that labels are visible, the keyboard matches the field (numbers for a phone number), and the submit button is reachable.

Then submit it with a mistake on purpose and read the error.