Error management
Provide clear, specific error messages. It helps all users recover from errors, but it’s essential for those with cognitive disabilities.
Error management in AgDS
We have built-in error identification and prevention throughout the design system in our error states, status badges and alerts. Use these to ensure an accessible and smooth user experience in your digital products and services.
Error management in our components achieved full WCAG conformance in accessibility audits in 2022 and 2024. Implementation of AgDS error management in our patterns is demonstrated in the yourGov application.
Requirements
Error identification
- Input errors are detected and communicated to the user.
- Error notifications are accessible to all users, including those with disabilities.
- Error messages clearly identify the error.
- Error messages provide sufficient information for users to locate and fix the problem.
- Error messages are understood and conveyed by assistive technology.
Error prevention
- Hint text is provided where helpful – for example, to show the format for a date.
- Labels and hint text are clear and succinct.
- Ability to review and correct choices.
- For forms with legal commitments, financial transactions or data modifications, users must be able to check, reverse or confirm their input.
Benefits
- Reduces user frustration by clearly explaining what went wrong.
- Helps users with cognitive disabilities understand and fix problems.
- Saves time by preventing repeated unsuccessful attempts.
- Reduces support tickets and user assistance needs.
- Clear and helpful form content reduces anxiety about making mistakes.
- Helps users understand form requirements.
- Saves time by preventing the entry of incorrect information.
- Particularly valuable for users with cognitive or motor impairments.
- Provides safeguards against critical errors with significant consequences.