WebAIM - Web Accessibility In Mind

E-mail List Archives

WCAG SC1.3.5 (Identify Input Purpose) and UK addresses

for

From: Steve Green
Date: Sep 2, 2023 11:30AM

Can anyone help me understand how to apply WCAG SC1.3.5 (Identify Input Purpose) to UK addresses?

We are possibly unusual insofar as our administrative geography is entirely different from that of our postal system.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Administrative_geography_of_the_United_Kingdom
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_post_towns_in_the_United_Kingdom

In the description of the "autocomplete" values, WCAG says address-level1 is the broadest administrative level in the address, and that in the UK it is the post town. However, many people never use their post town in their address, and may not even know what it is. Historically, post towns were where the delivery centres were, and may be many miles from where you live.

If we follow WCAG and use address-level1 for the post town, which "autocomplete" value do we use for the county? We can't use address-level2 because that's a lower level. And the only higher level is country. And what value do we use for the actual town?

Or should we ignore WCAG and use address-level1 for the county, address-level2 for the town and address-level3 for the district, which is what seems to be the sensible approach?

The whole thing is so ambiguous that different designers will have undoubtedly come to different decisions, undermining the usefulness of the success criterion. The whole problem stems from WCAG saying that address-level1 is the UK post town. If that could be removed or changed to say it's the county, everything would be resolved.

Steve Green
Managing Director
Test Partners Ltd