Repeated form info can be auto-filled or easy to fill in again
New in WCAG 2.2
Overview
A form or multi step process asking for certain info repeatedly can become fatiguing or frustrating for the person completing the process. It can also increase the chance of someone making mistakes and providing conflicting info. Processes that can either auto fill or let the user choose from previous values entered reduces the cognitive effort needed to complete that task.
Best Practices
Populate fields with info already provided
In a form process, if there are inputs that can use info from previous answers, this reduces the need for the user to add that info again.
Let the user select info from a set of choices
This provides flexibility in either choosing a pre-existing value, or entering new information instead.
Autocomplete and Redundant Entry Note
The main purpose of autocomplete is to identify and expose an input's purpose either to browsers or assistive technologies (see the autocomplete guide). As a result, browser autocomplete is not considered sufficient by itself to meet this particular criterion.
This criterion instead requires a mechanism at the web content level (not browser level) to provide stored information to prevent redundant entry.
Exceptions to Redundant Entry
This criterion doesn't apply to the following scenarios:
- Re-entering information is essential to the activity (example: memory games with previous answers supplied invalidates the game)
- Security reasons such as confirming a created password
- Previously entered information is no longer valid.
Pattern Examples
Example: Shipping and Billing Address
A form might need a person's shipping and billing address for a purchase. If the address for both billing and shipping are the same, that person can check the box saying the billing address info is the same. This reduces the amount of redundant typing for a user, while the form receiver gets the billing info they need.
Example: Phone Numbers
A person might fill out a profile that asks for communication methods and preferences. The first step asks for different types of phone numbers. In a later step, the setup may ask for the person's preferred method of communication. Letting the user choose from pre-filled options means not having to recall or retype phone numbers.
Earlier step