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design forms html5 label

Placeholder Attribute Is Not A Label!

Just so we’re all clear on this, the HTML5 placeholder attribute in a text input is not a replacement for the label element. Period. The placeholder should only be used as a brief example of the text to be entered.

Besides inconsistent support for screen readers, using a placeholder as an input label can create usability problems and issues for those with cognitive impairments. For example, how does one review the information entered if the placeholder is now gone?

The placeholder should be used like a title attribute (tooltip); it provides only supplementary information. If the information is required for the user (such as a strict text format) then this should be conveyed in the main content of the page, not in an attribute.

The W3C HTML5 placeholder specification specifically states it should be a “short hint…intended to aid the user with data entry” and also states:

The placeholder attribute should not be used as a replacement for a label.

Supporting articles:

Bonus!
On @a11yMemes, check out this humorous take on placeholder.

Addendum (more references):

Also see Web Axe follow-up post: Floated Labels Still Suck.

Related Tweet Jan 2016:

11 replies on “Placeholder Attribute Is Not A Label!”

Another resource on this topic is a terrific book: “Inclusive Design Patterns”; 2016; by Heydon Pickering; pages 267-271

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