WCAG 2.2 SC 3.3.2 (Labels or Instructions, Level A) requires that form inputs provide clear labels, and SC 1.3.5 (Identify Input Purpose, Level AA) requires that fields collecting personal information be programmatically identifiable. Government forms that collect unnecessary fields create two compounding problems: they expose citizens to privacy risk (more PII collected than legally necessary), and they violate the principle of data minimization required by OMB M-17-06. Multi-step forms without progress indicators additionally violate WCAG 3.3 guidance and cause high abandonment — citizens who don't know how many steps remain often give up on benefit applications mid-way.
Low because poorly labeled form fields violate WCAG 2.2 SC 3.3.2 (Level A) and SC 1.3.5 (Level AA), while multi-step forms without progress indicators cause measurable abandonment of government benefit and service applications — but neither blocks form submission outright.
Mark every field as required or optional explicitly — do not rely on placeholder text or asterisk legend alone. Add a progress indicator to any form with more than one step.
// Clearly labeled fields
<label htmlFor="email">
Email address <span aria-hidden="true">(required)</span>
<input id="email" type="email" required autoComplete="email" />
</label>
<label htmlFor="phone">
Phone number <span className="usa-hint">(optional)</span>
<input id="phone" type="tel" autoComplete="tel" />
</label>
// Multi-step progress indicator
<nav aria-label="Form progress">
<ol>
<li aria-current="step">Step 1: Personal Information</li>
<li>Step 2: Contact Details</li>
<li>Step 3: Review and Submit</li>
</ol>
</nav>
Remove any field that is not used in processing the request — excess PII collection is a compliance risk under OMB M-17-06.
ID: gov-web-standards.uswds-alignment.forms
Severity: low
What to look for: Enumerate all forms on the site. For each form, count every field and classify each as required or optional. Check:
Pass criteria: Forms collect only necessary information (at least 90% of fields are clearly marked required or optional). Multi-step forms display a progress indicator. Form labels are clear, and error messages appear inline.
Fail criteria: Forms collect excessive information, or more than 10% of fields lack required/optional labeling, or multi-step forms lack progress indicators, or form labels are unclear.
Skip (N/A) when: The site has no forms.
Detail on fail: "Contact form asks for 'Phone Number' without marking it optional — users feel pressure to provide it" or "3-step application form has no progress indicator; users don't know which step they're on" or "Required fields not labeled with asterisk or 'required' text"
Remediation: Design minimal, user-friendly forms:
// Mark required fields clearly
<label>
Email (required) <input required type="email" />
</label>
<label>
Phone <input type="tel" /> (optional)
</label>
// For multi-step forms, add progress indicator
<ProgressBar currentStep={1} totalSteps={3} />
<p>Step 1 of 3: Personal Information</p>