1.3.5 Identify Input Purpose

1. What is the goal of this criterion?

Imagine sitting in front of a long form, typing in your name, address and phone number for the tenth time this week. Tedious, right? Now imagine that reading, writing or remembering is hard for you. Then a simple form quickly becomes a real obstacle.

The goal of Success Criterion 1.3.5 is for forms to “think along”. Software should recognise what kind of information a field expects – not just from the visible label, but from a machine-readable marker. That way browsers can fill in fields automatically, and assistive tools can, for example, add familiar icons.

In short: when a form asks for your name, email address or postal address, the technology should recognise that and be able to help.

2. What exactly does it require?

In concrete terms, this is a Level AA requirement for input fields that collect information about the user themselves.

The purpose of an input field must be programmatically determinable when:

• the field serves a purpose listed in the WCAG list of input purposes (such as name, email, phone, address, date of birth, username or password), and
• the technology used supports identifying the field’s purpose – which HTML does.

In practice, that means:

• HTML input fields need the right autocomplete attribute (for example autocomplete="name" for a name field).
• The values must come from the defined list – no made-up terms.
• It only covers information about the users themselves, not about third parties (so not “Your partner’s name”, for example).

Examples: an email field gets autocomplete="email", a first-name field autocomplete="given-name", a field for street and house number autocomplete="address-line1".

Fields whose purpose isn’t on the list (such as “Customer number” or “Your message”), or fields for information about other people, aren’t covered by the criterion.

3. Why does it matter for accessibility?

Imagine reading is hard for you, or your memory lets you down with numbers and addresses. A form with 15 fields becomes torture – unless it can be filled in automatically or helps you with familiar icons.

Machine-readable input purposes create accessibility because they:

• help people with cognitive disabilities: browsers can fill fields automatically, so nobody has to remember the details,
• support people with memory difficulties: repeated typing disappears thanks to autofill,
• assist people with language or learning difficulties: tools can mark fields with familiar icons,
• relieve people with motor impairments: less typing means less effort and fewer errors,
• benefit everyone: people without disabilities also fill in forms faster and with fewer mistakes.

And the best part: the markers are language-independent – an email field stays recognisable whether the page is in German, English or Chinese.

4. How to meet the criterion

The good news: implementing it is usually technically very simple and adds value straight away. Here’s how:

Use the autocomplete attribute correctly:

• Add autocomplete to every field that asks for information about the user.
• Only use values from the defined list (for example name, email, tel, postal-code).
• Choose the value that fits the field: if there’s a single name field, name is correct; for separate fields, use given-name and family-name.

Common input purposes and their values:

• Name: autocomplete="name" (full name), given-name (first name), family-name (last name)
• Email: autocomplete="email"
• Phone: autocomplete="tel"
• Address: address-line1 (street and number), postal-code (postcode), address-level2 (city), country-name (country)
• Date of birth: autocomplete="bday"
• Credentials: username, current-password or new-password

<label for="email">Email address</label>
<input type="email" id="email" name="email" autocomplete="email">

<label for="postcode">Postcode</label>
<input type="text" id="postcode" name="postcode" autocomplete="postal-code">

Technical tips:

• Combine autocomplete with the right type, such as type="email" or type="tel".
• The attribute complements the visible label – it doesn’t replace it.
• Test your forms in different browsers: does autofill work?
• Don’t set autocomplete="off" on fields for the user’s own personal data – it blocks exactly the help this is all about.

What to avoid:

• Giving fields for other people’s details the same values without thinking – autofill can enter the wrong data there.
• Mixing several purposes in one field.
• Using the wrong values, such as email on a phone number field.

You’ll find more on forms in the article Accessible forms. Related criteria are Redundant Entry and, at Level AAA, Identify Purpose.

5. Why this criterion matters for businesses

Here too, accessibility isn’t a nice bonus – it has a direct effect on your business.

1. Faster forms

Forms are often the critical point in checkout or sign-up. A form that can be filled in automatically saves time and typing – especially on mobile – and removes a common reason for people to give up.

2. A better user experience

Forms that think along come across as considered and customer-friendly. They show that you care about the details – which builds trust in your brand.

3. Better data quality

Autofill reduces typos. Fewer errors mean fewer follow-up questions, less manual rework and more robust processes.

And then there’s the law: since 28 June 2025, the European Accessibility Act has applied to many consumer products and services, such as online shops with checkout and account forms; Germany implements it through the Barrierefreiheitsstärkungsgesetz (BFSG). The benchmark is EN 301 549, which refers to WCAG 2.1 Level AA – 1.3.5 was introduced in WCAG 2.1 and is part of it. Public sector bodies have their own obligations. (General information, not legal advice.)

6. The success criterion in the W3C’s words

Success Criterion 1.3.5 Identify Input Purpose (Level AA)

The purpose of each input field collecting information about the user can be programmatically determined when:

• The input field serves a purpose identified in the Input Purposes for User Interface Components section; and
• The content is implemented using technologies with support for identifying the expected meaning for form input data.

In short: fields that ask for personal details from the defined WCAG list must expose their purpose in a machine-readable way – in HTML through the autocomplete attribute.