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search-submit button -- required or not

for

From: Jennifer Sutton
Date: Apr 25, 2016 4:02PM

Greetings, WebAIM folks:

What's the current thinking regarding whether a search "submit" button
is required? Is there a specific Success Criterion that should be cited?

I'm wondering about this because, increasingly, I'm seeing search edit
boxes that are activated by simply using the enter key.

Is this practice becoming accepted/known?

How do folks who use text-input, such as Dragon Naturally Speaking,
handle the lack of a button (with a name to speak)?

Though it is not relevant to the particular use case I'm currently
looking at, I also find myself thinking about the kinds of search
mechanisms that autocomplete/suggest, as you type. These typically, as
far as I recall, do not have "submit" buttons. I guess the idea with
them is that once you stop typing, you've essentially "submitted." But I
bring these search-suggestion mechanisms up because I wonder if they're
contributing to the perception that "submit" buttons are no longer
necessary for searches (whether or not suggestions are offered).

In the end, I want to be sure I'm clear about whether the lack of a
search submission button is a WCAG 2.0 issue, considered to be a general
usability issue (for people with disabilities and/or people without), or
both?

Thank you.

Best,
Jennifer