Notify Users of Status Changes
Ensure that important status messages are communicated to users through assistive technologies even when they do not receive focus, so all users are aware of content updates.
Acceptance Criteria
• Programmatically Determined: Status messages must be programmatically detectable through roles or properties.
• Assistive Technology Notification: Status updates should be announced to users by assistive technologies without requiring focus to be shifted.
Examples
• Announce “5 results returned” after pressing a Search button.
• Notify users with “Loading results” during a loading state.
• Update progress, such as “Progress at 50%,” for loading bars.
• Communicate “Saved to ‘dogs’ album” when an item is successfully saved.
Exceptions
• Ensure that status messages are not part of elements that are purely decorative or non-interactive.
Tips
• Use ARIA live regions (e.g., aria-live attribute) to ensure dynamic status updates are announced effectively.
• Test with assistive technologies to verify that status changes are conveyed properly.
How to test?
1. Assistive Technology Testing: Use screen readers to ensure that status messages are announced correctly when they appear.
2. Live Region Validation: Verify that aria-live attributes are properly used to make status messages accessible.
3. Focus Management: Ensure that important messages are communicated without requiring users to shift focus away from their current task.