The first item on the list in Jakob Nielsen’s "10 Usability Heuristics for User Interface Design" is the visibility of system status. This heuristic states, "The design should always keep users informed about what is going on through appropriate feedback within a reasonable amount of time."
While adhering to Jakob Nielsen's rule of thumb for status messages is crucial, those messages must also adhere to accessibility guidelines, specifically 4.1.3 Status Messages Level AA, which requires users to be made "aware of important changes in content that are not given focus and to do so in a way that doesn't unnecessarily interrupt their work. For screen reader users, this means status messages must be programmatically determinable.
So how do you do that? First, determine what type of message you need to convey. SC 4.1.3 provides three status message types:
- advise on the success or results of an action or the state of an application
- communicate a suggestion or a warning on the existence of an error
- provide updated information on the progress of a process
For each message type, there is an ARIA-based solution, whether using a role or property, that will allow your status message to be read by a screen reader.
- If a status message advises on the success or results of an action or the state of an application: ARIA22: Using role=status to present status messages.
- If a status message conveys a suggestion or a warning on the existence of an error: ARIA19: Using ARIA role=alert or Live Regions to Identify Errors.
- If a status message conveys information on the progress of a process: ARIA23: Using role=log to identify sequential information updates.
For detailed information on ARIA-based techniques and combinations of techniques to meet Success Criterion 4.1.3 (Status Messages), refer to "Sufficient Techniques."
Going Beyond Programmatic Access
In addition to ensuring assistive technologies like screen readers can access status messages, implementing a range of accessibility features ensures that all visitors, regardless of their abilities, are effectively notified of content changes. Some of those accessibility features include:
- Location of the Message—Ensure status messages are positioned adjacent to the corresponding change in content. This is crucial for users of screen readers and magnifiers, as it allows them to locate the message quickly.
- Plain Language—According to the National Archives, "Plain language is clear, concise, organized, and appropriate for the intended audience." Avoid jargon, technical terms, and overly complex sentence structures. Writing status messages in plain language benefits individuals with cognitive and learning disabilities, language impairments, and memory impairments.
If your status message includes a suggestion or instruction, you will want to construct it in active voice. For example, a passive voice status message would read, "Your form was successfully submitted." An active voice message would read, "You successfully submitted your form." Active voice helps with being concise—it is less wordy and more direct.
There are several tools available to test your writing for simplicity and readability. For example, DubBot offers the Flesch Reading Ease, which assigns text a score between 1 and 100, with 100 being the highest readability score. Average adults should find text with a score between 70 and 80 reasonably easy to read.
For more information on plain language, please see "Give it to Me Straight! - The Power of Plain Language." - Discernible Text—If your status message contains links to other webpages, make sure the link text is discernible. Discernible link text is text that can be seen, perceived, and understood by website users while conveying the purpose of the link—its destination, function, or action. Discernible link text is crucial for users of assistive technologies. Screen readers, for example, announce links to users, and meaningful text ensures that users understand the context and relevance of the link.
- Proper Contrast—Because status messages are visual cues, they must have sufficient contrast to be readable by people with low vision or other visual impairments. To meet the contrast requirement, ensure a minimum contrast ratio of 4.5:1 for regular text and 3:1 for large text.
This exact requirement applies to links in your status message. Link text must have a minimum of 3:1 color contrast with the surrounding body text. Links should be underlined by default. A focus indicator should be visible and contrast properly upon mouse hover and when the link receives keyboard focus. - Consistent Help: Provide a phone number and email so individuals can quickly contact you for assistance, support, or further information. Providing both communication channels meets the needs of people who prefer a phone call for immediate help and others who prefer email. Place this information in the exact location for every status message—for example, in the lower right corner.
Clear, concise, and programmatically determinable status messages are essential for effective communication and user satisfaction. By ensuring that system status is readily understandable to all users and adhering to accessibility guidelines, we minimize frustration, enhance user experience, and demonstrate respect for all individuals. Prioritizing clear and accessible status messaging is fundamental to any system design.
