Write labels that describe their fields
G131 asks two things of every label. Say what the control is for, and associate it with that control properly so assistive technology can present it. The label is also where you say a field is required, in text rather than only in a color or an asterisk. W3C lists it as sufficient at two rules, 2.4.6 Headings and Labels at Level AA and 3.3.2 Labels or Instructions at Level A, so both of the rules on this page are ones it genuinely serves. It also carries more weight than most techniques. Three other documented techniques count at 3.3.2 only when this one is in place underneath them, which makes a descriptive label the thing the rest of a form's labeling stands on.
How we find it in an audit
Tools reliably catch a control with no label at all. That is the easy finding. The harder one is a label that exists and says nothing useful. Our reviewers read every label out of context, the way a screen reader announces it, and ask whether a stranger could tell which field it belongs to and what to type. Duplicate labels on a single form are the usual tell.
How affected users experience it
A screen reader user filling a checkout form hears the label, not the layout. Three fields announced as 'Name', 'Name' and 'Number' give them nothing to choose between, so they guess, and a wrong guess on a payment form means a declined transaction with no explanation. Voice control users hit it from another angle, because they have to say the label out loud to reach the field. Two fields with the same name means one of them cannot be reached by voice.
Passes vs. fails
Passes
Labels state each field's purpose distinctly, reading 'Cardholder name', 'Billing contact name' and 'Card number'.
Fails
A checkout form labels three fields 'Name', 'Name' and 'Number', with nothing to say which name or what number.
How this gets tested
The W3C publishes test rules that define what a checker looks for here.
- Form field label is descriptiveA tool can check this
- Heading is descriptiveA tool can check this
Other ways to satisfy this rule
4 guides on this site are filed under 2.4.6 Headings and Labels. W3C lists this one as sufficient for that rule on its own. Implement it correctly, in a way your readers' software actually supports, and the rule is met.
This guide is our interpretation of W3C technique G131: Providing descriptive labels. W3C publishes its techniques as guidance rather than as the standard, and says so on every one of them. The success criterion is what conformance is measured against, and a technique is one documented way to meet it.