Form instructions

Silktide finds form fields that could need an explanation, such as free-text fields, and asks you to decide whether each one needs instructions describing what to enter. Fields that do need instructions should have them attached in code, not just placed nearby.

Why this matters

A label alone often is not enough. "Date" tells you nothing about the expected format, which varies by country; "Reference" does not say which of your three reference numbers is wanted. Visitors who guess wrong get an error

or worse, their submission is accepted with bad data.

Attaching the instruction in code matters just as much as writing it: a hint that is merely near the field visually is invisible to a user focused on the input.

How to fix it

For each flagged field, decide whether a visitor could be unsure what to enter. If so:

Add a description and connect it to the field with the aria-describedby attribute:

<!-- The hint is announced when the field receives focus -->
<label for="date">Date</label>
<input type="text" id="date" aria-describedby="date-hint">
<p id="date-hint">Format: day/month/year, e.g. 28/07/2026</p>

Or use a purpose-built field type instead. <input type="date"> gives visitors a date picker in their own locale, with no explanation needed - prefer this when a suitable type exists.

If the field is self-explanatory - a "Search" box, or a "Message" field on a contact form - no instruction is needed; the finding.

How Silktide tests this

Find the form controls where instructions plausibly help: <textarea> elements and <input> fields of type text, email, file, number, password, or range. Buttons, checkboxes, radio buttons, and drop-down menus are skipped, because a label is normally sufficient for those.
Skip fields that are not visible to sighted users, and fields injected by known third-party widgets, such as the hidden forms that tracking and translation scripts add for their own use.
Skip fields that already have a description attached - an aria-describedby pointing at real, non-empty text, or a non-empty aria-description attribute.
Flag each remaining field for your review: a human decides whether it actually needs instructions.

Troubleshooting

My field has a hint right below it

Visible proximity is not association. Unless the hint is connected to the field with aria-describedby (or aria-description), does not announce it, and Silktide flags the field. Adding the attribute resolves both.