Making Forms Accessible
9 June 2026
This blog is written by Heather Pennington and Alex Stewart from the Learning and Teaching Academy.
Forms are everywhere in university life – feedback surveys, event sign‑ups, assessment submissions, mentoring logs, and everything in between. But poorly designed forms can create real barriers, especially for people using screen readers or keyboard navigation.
Making your forms accessible isn’t just a legal requirement under the Equality Act 2010, it’s also a simple way to make life easier for colleagues and students.
Below are quick, practical tips you can apply straight away.
Why accessible forms matter
Accessible forms mean everyone can complete them independently – no workarounds, no need to ask for help, no lost responses. While some adjustments may seem minor, they can significantly improve the experience for users who rely on screen readers, keyboard navigation, or other assistive tools.
Five quick ways to improve form accessibility
- Use clear, descriptive labels
Labels help everyone, but they’re essential for screen reader users.
- Make sure every field has a label (not just placeholder text).
- Use the built‑in “label” features in tools like Microsoft Forms or HTML (<label> tags).
- Avoid ambiguity. For example, say “First name” instead of “Name”.
Fast fix: Check that you can understand the purpose of each field without clicking into it.
- Give simple, helpful instructions
Keep instructions close to the relevant field and use plain language.
- Break longer explanations into short steps.
- For complex questions, include brief examples.
Fast fix: If it takes more than a few seconds to work out what to do, simplify it.
- Make error messages meaningful
Support users to correct mistakes easily.
- Avoid vague prompts like “Invalid entry”.
- Be specific: “Please enter your email in the format [email protected].”
Fast fix: Check the form yourself, do the error messages make sense without extra explanation?
- Keep the structure logical and easy to navigate
A predictable layout benefits everyone.
- Group related questions.
- Use headings to break up longer forms.
- Ensure users can move through the form using only the keyboard (Tab, Shift+Tab).
Fast fix: Try tabbing through the form, does it follow the order you expect?
- Use colour wisely
Colour alone shouldn’t carry meaning.
- Combine colour with icons or text for error messages or required fields.
- Ensure contrast is strong enough for text to be readable.
Fast fix: If you remove all colour, is the meaning still clear?
Designing accessible forms helps make content more engaging and usable for a wider range of learners and colleagues.
Need help?
For more tips on enhancing accessibility explore the Digital Accessibility Guide today and put accessibility and inclusion at the heart of your teaching and learning this year.
Contact us
If you’d like further support or have suggestions for future blog topics, please get in touch with the Learning and Teaching Academy at [email protected].