A form can look polished and still be difficult to complete. Labels may disappear, keyboard focus may become invisible, or an error may be shown only as a red border. This short check helps you find obvious obstacles in a business enquiry form. It is a starting review, not a complete accessibility audit or certification.
Complete the form using only a keyboard
Use Tab and Shift+Tab to move between controls, and check that you can see where focus is. Follow the order through fields, security checks and the submit button. If focus becomes trapped or jumps unexpectedly, record the exact step and browser for your developer.
Try the same task with the page enlarged. Labels and controls should remain usable without overlapping or hiding important information. If a banner or sticky button obscures the active field, treat that as a functional problem rather than a minor visual imperfection.
Read the labels before entering anything
Each field should have a clear label that remains available while someone types. A placeholder can offer an example, but it should not carry the entire responsibility of identifying a field. State required fields and important formatting instructions before a user encounters an error.
W3C explains that labels should be associated with controls in the page’s code as well as presented clearly. This supports people using different ways of navigating and entering information. Ask your developer to check that the visible label and the programmatic relationship both exist.
Make deliberate mistakes
Submit an empty form, enter an invalid email address and omit a required choice. Does each error explain what needs correcting? Does the page preserve the information you already entered? Can you find the affected field without guessing which red outline means what?
A useful message names the problem and the remedy, such as asking for an email address in a recognisable format. Do not reveal technical server errors to customers. If submission fails for a temporary reason, explain how to retry and offer an alternative contact route.
Check the end of the journey
A successful submission needs a clear confirmation that is available to assistive technology as well as visible on screen. Explain what happens next without promising a response time your team cannot meet. A button changing colour alone is not an adequate confirmation.
Record findings by task, impact and example. Fix blockers before cosmetic details, then repeat the same checks. For broader accessibility assurance, include appropriate specialist review and testing with people with disabilities. The ten-minute check is useful precisely because it is easy to repeat after changes, not because it covers every requirement.
Put this into practice
Share the affected page and what happened so a website review can focus on the actual failure. Explore how CodeMax can help, or send us your website and the problem you want to solve.
Sources and further reading
W3C Web Accessibility Initiative: Form notifications. Checked 30 September 2026.