Why can’t placeholder/watermark text in fields be used as the field label?
Placeholder text in fields isn’t accessible. And although it can be made accessible to screen readers, it is still inaccessible to people with low-vision or cognitive disabilities.
Placeholder text MUST NOT be used as the only method of providing a label for a text input.
WCAG 1.3.1: https://www.w3.org/WAI/WCAG21/Understanding/info-and-relationships.html
The label MUST persist!
Placeholder text disappears once the user clicks or tabs into the cell. If they have low vision and are using a zooming software, the text might disappear before the field gets focus. And people with cognitive disabilities might not remember what information is needed in the field.
Finally, it’s just bad usability for any user. If a user wants to review a form before submitting, how do they know they filled-in the information correctly?
Andrea Fowler View All →
I’m a user experience writer (more than a UI copy writer) and content strategist in the Seattle area. I design help, training and support features for an IT admin tool. I also consider myself something of an accessibility expert – especially in writing screen reader text.
In my free time I love painting and hiding rocks around Whidbey Island, embroidery, cross stitch, Zen Tangling, and tie-dying. My other hobby is robotics and I’ve got a really cool Pi car. I’m a total geek: I collect Funkos and Playmobil, read hard science fiction and graphic novels. And I don’t ever want to hear you talk smack about Sam and Dean Winchester (Supernatural 4-ever!).
Words are design 
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