Notifications and Feedback

Web accessibility is essential for people with disabilities and useful for all. Learn about the impact of accessibility and the benefits for everyone in a variety of situations.

Video on Notifications and Feedback

This video information is available as a Text Transcript with Description of Visuals below.

What is “Notifications and Feedback”?

Users need to know what is going on, and get appropriate feedback during interaction. For example, users need confirmation messages when actions are completed, such as when forms are submitted. Also, error messages must provide clear directions rather than confuse users.

Who depends on this feature?

People with some cognitive and learning disabilities, who may be easily confused by unexpected behavior and unclear error messages.
People with partial sight and blindness, who rely on notifications, instructions, and errors messages to understand the context and interactions.

What are the additional benefits?

Content is more usable for people who are new to the particular website or application.
Content is more usable for people who are not confident using computers and the web.
Content is less confusing and daunting to everyone, regardless of skills.

What needs to happen for this to work?

Use clear and simple language to make error messages more understandable. For example, describe how to fix an error. When forms are submitted, provide a confirmation message. When a change is made on the screen, such as new content added, alert users to the change.

Learn more

Accessibility Principle:
- Content appears and operates in predictable ways
- Users are helped to avoid and correct mistakes
Getting Started:
- Provide clear instructions
- Help users avoid and correct mistakes
Easy Check:
- Forms, labels, and errors (including Search fields)
User Story:
Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG Overview):
- Success Criteria relating to “errors”
Tutorial:
- Forms - Web Accessibility Tutorials

Text Transcript with Description of Visuals

Audio	Visual
Web Accessibility Perspectives: Notifications and Feedback	Web Accessibility Perspectives: Notifications and Feedback
All the right gears can be put in motion. The hands can be at the exact place they need to be.	The hands on a cuckoo clock reach twelve...
But if you don't get the response that you're expecting, you'll end up wondering if there's some sort of problem.	... but the cuckoo bird does not pop out of its door to signal the time.
It's the same on the Web. Without clear notifications and feedback, people are quickly disorientated and confused.	A man completes and submits a form on a website to get a rather blank screen with no confirmation of his submission. He looks confused.
Especially error messages which are often complex and confusing.	Another man receives a technical error message from a website registration form. It reads: "Error ead#234532 invalid data".
Yet making them understandable is usually quite simple.	The error message changes to say: "Invalid format, required format is 'day/month/year'.
Making websites and apps predictable and understandable makes them accessible for people with cognitive and learning disabilities...	A woman is trying to log into the Wi-Fi of a cafe and receives a cryptic error message.
... and more usable for everyone.	Other people at the cafe also seem to be having this problem.
Especially people with lower computer skills.	The error message changes to something more understandable. The woman at the cafe looks relieved.
Web accessibility: Essential for some, useful for all.	The cuckoo bird pops out of the clock.
Visit w3.org/WAI/perspectives for more information on Notifications and Feedback	Visit w3.org/WAI/perspectives for more information on Notifications and Feedback. W3C Web Accessibility Initiative logo