# Review submission form is present and accessible

- **Pattern:** `ab-001199` (`ecommerce-reviews.review-collection.submission-form-exists`)
- **Severity:** critical
- **Lifecycle:** active
- **Last modified:** 2026-04-18
- **Canonical URL:** https://auditbuffet.com/patterns/ab-001199
- **License:** CC-BY-4.0 — attribute to AuditBuffet Pattern Catalog (https://auditbuffet.com/patterns/ab-001199)

## Why it matters

Without a review submission form, buyers have no path to contribute social proof, and the store loses the user-generated content that drives conversion on product pages. Missing or incomplete forms also break schema.org AggregateRating eligibility, which strips star snippets from Google search results and reduces click-through. Shoppers who cannot review also cannot warn others about defects, so trust signals stagnate and repeat purchase rates drop.

## Severity rationale

Critical because an absent review form removes the entire user-generated content pipeline that product pages depend on for conversion.

## Remediation

Build a review submission form at `components/ReviewForm.tsx` exposing at minimum a 1-5 star rating input, a text area for the review body, and a submit button wired to a POST handler. Mount it on product pages or a dedicated `/products/:id/review` route, and render inline error and success states:

```tsx
<form onSubmit={handleSubmit}>
  <StarInput value={rating} onChange={setRating} required />
  <textarea value={text} onChange={(e) => setText(e.target.value)} required />
  <button type="submit">Submit Review</button>
</form>
```

## Detection

- **ID:** `submission-form-exists`
- **Severity:** `critical`
- **What to look for:** Enumerate all product page components and review-related routes. For each, classify whether it contains a review submission form. Count the number of form fields present (rating input, text area, submit button, error/success messaging).
- **Pass criteria:** A review submission form with at least 3 form elements (rating input, text area, submit button) is present on product pages or accessible via a dedicated route such as `/products/:id/review` or a modal trigger. The form must include a rating input (1-5 stars) and a text area for review body content.
- **Fail criteria:** No review submission form exists anywhere in the codebase, or the form exists but has fewer than 3 required elements (rating input, text area, submit button). Do not pass when a form component file exists but contains only a placeholder or TODO comment.
- **Skip (N/A) when:** Search `package.json` dependencies and all component directories for review-related terms (review, rating, feedback). If no review/rating functionality exists and the project is not an e-commerce site, skip.
- **Detail on fail:** Describe what's missing with the count. Example: `"Found 1 of 3 required form elements (text area only, no star rating or submit button). Review form at components/ReviewForm.tsx is incomplete."` or `"No review submission form found across 12 product page components."`
- **Cross-reference:** Related to `ecommerce-reviews.review-collection.star-input-accessible` (accessibility of the rating input) and `ecommerce-reviews.display-ux.aggregate-rating-visible` (display of collected ratings).
- **Remediation:** Create a review submission form in `components/ReviewForm.tsx` with at minimum a star rating input (1-5 stars), a text area for review content, and a submit button. Use accessible components like radio buttons or a visually clear star picker:

  ```tsx
  // components/ReviewForm.tsx
  export function ReviewForm({ productId }) {
    const [rating, setRating] = useState(0)
    const [text, setText] = useState('')

    return (
      <form onSubmit={handleSubmit}>
        <label>Rating</label>
        <StarInput value={rating} onChange={setRating} />

        <label>Your Review</label>
        <textarea value={text} onChange={(e) => setText(e.target.value)} />

        <button type="submit">Submit Review</button>
      </form>
    )
  }
  ```

Taxons: user-experience

HTML version: https://auditbuffet.com/patterns/ab-001199