Herrod, Lisa wrote:
Yes this is an interesting point. And it differs from visually highlighting
a field once the user has encountered a form validation error. For example,
a user misses or incorrectly fills out a mandatory field and when the form
is re-presented, those fields are visually highlighted with a background
colour. In this example, I find users actually like this method and find it
useful/helpful.
This may work okay for visual users, but it has no means of
communicating with those who cannot rely on visual indicators.
This leads to something that has not enough attention has been drawn to;
Mandatory data fields, Required data, fields that require correct data
after validation should all be grouped together with a
*fieldset>legend*. This informs all users of the requirements of that
data. Leave fields that do not meet this criteria outside this group,
either in a separate group or ungrouped.
This standard of putting an asterisks * after (or before an input field)
does not only not inform an unsighted user, it often gives the
indication after they have tabbed through the field, to late for them to
manage their input without back tracking.
It is a much better practice to group all these fields together. Not
only is it better accessibility practice, I feel it offers better
usability by design.
--------------
Geoff Deering
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