How can you provide feedback after form submission without relying on visual cues?

1 Use clear and concise language

The first and most important tip is to use clear and concise language to communicate feedback. Avoid jargon, ambiguity, and unnecessary words. Use positive and polite tone, and provide actionable suggestions if there is an error or a problem. For example, instead of saying "Invalid input", say "Please enter a valid email address". Use headings, labels, and instructions to guide users through the form and provide context for the feedback.

2 Use sound and vibration

Another way to provide feedback without relying on visual cues is to use sound and vibration. Sound and vibration can create a sense of urgency, confirmation, or alert, depending on the type and intensity of the feedback. For example, you can use a short and soft sound to indicate a successful submission, or a long and loud sound to indicate a critical error. You can also use vibration to create a tactile feedback for mobile devices. However, be careful not to overuse or misuse sound and vibration, as they can be annoying or distracting for some users. Always provide an option to mute or adjust the sound and vibration settings.

3 Use ARIA attributes and roles

ARIA stands for Accessible Rich Internet Applications, and it is a set of attributes and roles that you can use to enhance the accessibility of your web pages. ARIA attributes and roles can help you provide feedback to screen reader users, who rely on auditory cues to navigate and interact with your forms. For example, you can use aria-live, aria-busy, and aria-atomic attributes to announce dynamic changes in the form status, such as loading, submitting, or validating. You can also use aria-describedby, aria-labelledby, and aria-invalid attributes to link feedback messages to the relevant form fields. ARIA attributes and roles should be used in conjunction with semantic HTML elements and labels.

5 Use progressive disclosure and confirmation

The last tip to provide feedback without relying on visual cues is to use progressive disclosure and confirmation. Progressive disclosure and confirmation are design patterns that help you reduce the cognitive load and increase the confidence of your users. Progressive disclosure means that you only show the relevant information and options at each step of the form, and hide the rest. Confirmation means that you ask users to review and confirm their inputs before submitting the form. By using progressive disclosure and confirmation, you can provide feedback without relying on visual cues, as you can guide users through the form and prevent errors and misunderstandings.

6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?