ARIA labels are tools for enhancing accessibility for users with disabilities. By using HTML ARIA attributes like aria-label and aria-labelledby, developers can provide information for users who rely on assistive technologies like screen readers, to ensure an inclusive user experience.
Ensuring web accessibility is important not only for people with disabilities but also for the general public, as it improves the overall user experience for everyone. Accessible websites often feature clearer navigation, better structure, and more efficient design, benefiting individuals in diverse contexts, such as older adults or users with temporary impairments.
ARIA (Accessible Rich Internet Applications) are HTML attributes defined by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C), an international community that develops open standards to make the web accessible. The W3C focuses on creating guidelines, such as the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), to help developers create web content that is usable and accessible to all people. These guidelines are widely adopted and serve as a key reference for accessibility conformance testing.
ARIA labels provide descriptive information about elements in a web application, ensuring that users with disabilities can comprehend their purpose and functionality. These labels are especially useful for dynamic components such as modal dialogs, custom buttons, or interactive widgets that are not inherently accessible.
Two commonly used ARIA attributes for labeling are:
aria-label:aria-labelledby:id of another HTML element whose text serves as the label.Both attributes aim to improve the clarity of an HTML element’s role and purpose, ensuring a seamless experience for all users.
When implemented correctly, ARIA labels help assistive technologies interpret and convey the role and description of interface elements to users. For example, a screen reader might use the aria-label attribute to announce what an unlabeled button does, such as “Submit” or “Close Menu.” Similarly, the aria-labelledby attribute links an element to existing text on the page, effectively using that text as the element’s label.
Consider the following example:
<button aria-label="Submit Form">Submit</button>
Here, the aria-label attribute explicitly describes the purpose of the button to users who rely on assistive technologies.
Alternatively, using aria-labelledby might look like this:
<label id="submit-label">Submit Form</label>
<button aria-labelledby="submit-label">Submit</button>
In this case, the aria-labelledby attribute ties the button to the visible label with the id of submit-label.
Here are some examples of ARIA labels in action. In all of the examples, the primary emphasis is on using native HTML elements, like <button>, <label>, and <input>.
ARIA labels should only be used when necessary, especially when native HTML elements lack semantic meaning or when additional clarification is needed. This approach ensures that the site is still functional and accessible even without relying solely on ARIA.
<button aria-label="Close" class="close-button">
<span aria-hidden="true">×</span>
</button>
This example shows a button designed to close a window or modal. The aria-label="Close" attribute is used to provide a clear, descriptive label for screen readers, as the button only contains an icon (×). The aria-hidden="true" on the <span> ensures that the icon itself is not announced to screen readers, preventing redundancy. By using the native <button> element, this remains semantically correct, and the ARIA label provides additional clarity for users with visual impairments who rely on screen readers.
<div role="region" aria-live="polite">
<p>Your order has been successfully placed!</p>
</div>
Here, a div with role="region" and aria-live="polite" is used to notify users of a successful order. The aria-live attribute with the value “polite” ensures that the message is announced by screen readers at an appropriate time without interrupting ongoing tasks.
<label for="email">Email Address</label>
<input type="email" id="email" name="email" aria-label="Email address input field">
In this example, a native <label> is used to associate the text “Email Address” with the <input> element. The aria-label="Email address input field" is added to provide further context to screen reader users in case the label is not adequately read or if it’s in a complex form. The label itself should always be the primary method for indicating form fields, as it’s native HTML.
label association and the ARIA label providing additional clarity. For instance, if the label was hidden or not visible, the ARIA label would still ensure the field’s purpose is conveyed.ARIA labels are invaluable in the following scenarios:
While ARIA labels are incredibly useful, their misuse can lead to confusion and hinder accessibility. Here are some best practices:
By providing descriptive information for interactive elements, ARIA labels ensure that users with disabilities can interact with web content effectively. As web developers, it is our responsibility to prioritize accessibility and leverage tools like ARIA to create digital experiences that are accessible to all.
By adhering to these best practices and testing implementations using accessibility testing tools and validators, we can make significant strides in achieving a more inclusive web.
Most common questions and brief, easy-to-understand answers on the topic:
ARIA (Accessible Rich Internet Applications) labels are HTML attributes that provide descriptive information about web elements, ensuring users with disabilities can understand their purpose. They are essential for improving accessibility, especially for dynamic elements like buttons, forms, or custom widgets, making the web more inclusive for everyone, including those with visual, motor, or cognitive impairments.
ARIA labels should only be used when native HTML elements lack semantic meaning or when they need additional clarification. It is important to prioritize native HTML elements first, as they are inherently accessible. ARIA should supplement, not replace, standard HTML elements, such as using aria-label for icons or aria-live for dynamically updated content.
aria-label and aria-labelledby?aria-label provides a direct textual description for an element, while aria-labelledby references the id of another element whose text serves as the label. Use aria-labelledby when the label text already exists elsewhere on the page, and use aria-label for custom, direct descriptions when no visible label is available.
Sources and recommended, further resources on the topic:
License: Introduction to ARIA (Accessible Rich Internet Applications) Labels by Jonas Jared Jacek is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
This license requires that reusers give credit to the creator. It allows reusers to distribute, remix, adapt, and build upon the material in any medium or format, for noncommercial purposes only. To give credit, provide a link back to the original source, the author, and the license e.g. like this:
<p xmlns:cc="http://creativecommons.org/ns#" xmlns:dct="http://purl.org/dc/terms/"><a property="dct:title" rel="cc:attributionURL" href="https://www.uxgem.com/articles/introduction-to-aria-labels">Introduction to ARIA (Accessible Rich Internet Applications) Labels</a> by <a rel="cc:attributionURL dct:creator" property="cc:attributionName" href="https://www.j15k.com/">Jonas Jared Jacek</a> is licensed under <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/" target="_blank" rel="license noopener noreferrer">CC BY-SA 4.0</a>.</p>For more information see the UXgem legal page.
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