Ask users for Contact Details
WCAG 2.2
New WCAG 2.2 criteria affects this pattern
To ask users for ‘Contact Details’ and meet the new Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.2 criteria, make sure that users can successfully:
Reusing entered values
WCAG 2.2
Make sure users can easily reuse a previously entered email address or phone number within a single journey, unless doing so would be a major safety or security concern. This is to comply with WCAG 2.2 success criterion 3.3.7 Redundant Entry.
You can make it easier to reuse email addresses or phone numbers through one of these methods:
- pre-populate the email or phone field with the previously entered values
- show any previously entered values as an option for the user to select
When to use this pattern
Follow this pattern whenever you need to capture an email address or phone number. Only collect telephone numbers from people if you genuinely need them.
How it works
When asking users for their email address, you should:
- make it clear why you’re asking
- make sure the field works for all of your users
- help users to enter a valid email address
You may also need to check that users have access to the email account they give you.
Confirm an email address
Use email confirmation loops if:
- critical functionality in the service is only available via email, for example, a password reset
- accidentally using the wrong email address would give someone else access to sensitive information about the user
Remember that confirmed emails do not prove a person’s identity, just that they have access to that email address at the time they confirmed.
You must set an expiry date on the email you send so that the link cannot be used after a certain period of time.
You should also set the link to expire when:
- it’s been used once
- it’s superseded by a new link
If a user attempts to use an expired link or a link that’s already been used then you should explain that it’s expired, and why.
Tell users why you want the email address
Make it clear what the email address will be used for so that:
- users feel confident that you’re not going to abuse it
- users with multiple email addresses can choose which one to give you
When asking users for their phone address, you should:
- allow input for 15 characters
- not allow spaces between characters
- ignore any unwanted characters before validating
Confirm a phone number
Ask the user to enter a security code when they need to sign in or complete a higher-risk task, such as changing a password.
Asking the user to enter a security code sent to their mobile phone gives a second layer of security over a password.
You can ask for a security code every time a user signs in or only once per device, depending on the risk level of your service.
Labelling contact details fields
Use:
- ‘Δ/νση Ηλεκτρ. Ταχυδρομείου (Ε-mail)’
- ‘Τηλέφωνο’