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Re: Adding a label to search box

for

From: Patrick H. Lauke
Date: Apr 13, 2006 4:20PM

Jukka K. Korpela wrote:

> It is inappropriate to expect that all people automatically recognize a
> box followed by a button or an image as a search form.

But what if the button, immediately following the text input, is clearly
labelled as "search"?

> Now that's something where title attributes may really sound useful, but
> is it just an illusion? I think the real problem is that radio buttons
> aren't really a good way to set up such menus. Even when people see the
> page, they have difficulties in remembering whether "agree" was on the
> left or on the right,

They *may* have difficulties, depending on the length of the form /
number of items the user is asked to rate in this manner.

> Which one is easier (and faster): to select a radio button among, say,
> five buttons by clicking on it (or by other means), or to type a digit
> from 1 to 5?

Personally, if it's a form where the majority of interaction can be done
via mouse, I find radio buttons easier and faster. A dropdown/select may
be a good alternative though.

>> All of these are made accessible to someone who cannot see the screen
>> by adding title attrbutes to the input elements;
>
> Are you sure? You seem to think of the attribute as some kind of magic.

It seems more like a statement of fact to me. Comparing like for like, a
form input without label but with a title attribute (which has been
proven in testing to be announced by screen readers even in default
settings) is certainly more accessible than the same input without label
and without title attribute.

P
--
Patrick H. Lauke
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