Google Forms are a popular way to create surveys, registrations, sign-up forms, and questionnaires. Thoughtful design choices can make forms easier for more people to use, including people with disabilities.
A few thoughtful choices during setup can help more people complete your form successfully.
Start With a Strong Foundation
Before adding questions, take a moment to set up the form for success.
- Give the form a meaningful title that clearly describes its purpose.
- Add a brief description that explains what the form is for.
- Include contact information so respondents can reach someone if they encounter problems or need assistance.
- Customize your confirmation message under Settings to provide clear next steps or contact details after submission.
- Keep autosave enabled so people do not lose their work if they need to pause and return later. Autosave is enabled by default and can be managed under Settings.
- Avoid using third-party add-ons that add strict time limits to forms, as respondents process and enter information at different speeds.
- Consider enabling a progress bar for longer surveys.
- Review form settings, including sign-in requirements, email collection, and response limits, to make sure they support your intended audience.
Not everyone experiences a form in the same way. Consider offering an alternative way to complete the form, such as an email address or phone number. This provides another option if someone encounters an accessibility issue or is unable to complete the form using their device or assistive technology.
Write Clear Questions
Clear writing benefits everyone.
Use plain language, define unfamiliar terms, and provide instructions when needed. Make question prompts specific so respondents know exactly what information you are asking for.
People should be able to understand your questions the first time they read them. Short sentences, familiar words, and clear instructions can help reduce confusion and improve completion rates.
When using response validation for specific input formats, add clear custom error text to explain how to fix the entry.
For question formats, avoid grid question types when possible. Multiple-choice and checkbox grids create table layouts that are difficult to navigate with screen readers and mobile screens. Instead, use standard multiple-choice or checkbox questions.
For longer forms:
- Break content into logical sections, but keep short forms on a single page to prevent unnecessary navigation steps.
- Add section titles and descriptions.
- Group related questions together.
- Avoid making questions required unless they are truly necessary.
Playbook: Accessible Text on Your Website includes guidance on writing clearly, using plain language, and creating content that is easier for everyone to understand.
Thoughtful organization helps people find what they need and move through the form more easily.
Use Accessible Dates
Date pickers can create challenges for some people using assistive technology. While browser and operating system support continues to improve, experiences can still vary.
Whenever possible, consider alternatives such as:
- A text field with clear instructions for entering a date.
- A multiple-choice question when the list of possible dates is already known.
For example, instead of a date picker, you might ask:
Enter the date (for example, January 15, 2026). Include the month, day, and year.
These alternatives often work more consistently across devices, browsers, and assistive technologies.
Make Images and Videos Accessible
Images and videos need to be accessible to people with disabilities. That includes people who use screen readers, captions, magnification, voice control, and other assistive technologies.
For images:
- Question and Standalone Images: Add a meaningful caption using the image options menu. In Google Forms, image captions serve as alternative text.
- Header Banner Images: Google Forms does not provide alternative text or captions for the banner image at the top of a form. Include any critical information from the header image in the form title or description text.
- Multiple-Choice Answer Images: Google Forms does not support captions or alt text for images used as answer choices. Always include a descriptive text label for the option (for example, write "Design 1: Maroon shirt with Gold Champ Mascot" instead of just "Option 1").
- General Image Best Practice: Focus on the purpose or message of the image rather than describing every visual detail. If an image contains important text, repeat that text in the question prompt or description.
Playbook: Image Text Alternatives on Your Website explains how to write effective alternative text that communicates the purpose and meaning of images.
If respondents need to reference an image to answer a question, mention the image in the question text. This helps ensure screen reader users know the image is there.
For videos:
- Use videos with accurate, human-reviewed captions.
- Mention the video in the question text so respondents know it is available.
- Consider linking to the video instead of embedding it when appropriate.
- Avoid animated backgrounds or autoplaying media.
Playbook: Video & Audio Accessibility on Your Website explains how to provide captions, transcripts, and audio descriptions for multimedia content.
Improve Readability
Simple design choices can have a significant impact on usability.
When customizing a Google Form:
- Use fonts that are easy to read.
- Keep text at 12-point size or larger.
- Ensure there is sufficient color contrast between text and backgrounds so content remains readable for people with low vision and color vision differences.
- Check colors used in charts, graphs, and images that convey information.
If you customize colors, test them with a color contrast checker before publishing.
Playbook: Contrast & Color on Your Website provides instructions on evaluating contrast ratios for text and visual elements, plus guidance on avoiding color alone to convey information.
Use Meaningful Links
Link text should tell people where the link goes.
Avoid:
- Click here
- Read more
- Learn more
Instead, describe the destination:
- Bulldog Welcome Week Event Schedule
- Kirby Student Center Room Reservations
- Bagley Nature Area Trail Map
Playbook: Accessible Links on Your Website explains how to create descriptive links that help people understand where a link goes before selecting it.
Descriptive links help everyone understand what to expect before activating the link.
Share Forms Directly When Possible
Providing a direct link to your Google Form is often the simplest option. Embedded forms in web pages can introduce accessibility and usability challenges. When possible, share a direct link to the form instead of embedding it in a webpage.
Testing & Verification
- Keyboard Testing:
- Before sharing your form, complete it yourself using only your keyboard (Tab, Shift+Tab, Spacebar, Enter, and Arrow keys).
- Verify that all questions, navigation controls, media, validation error messages, and confirmation screens can be accessed and understood without a mouse.
- Mobile Review:
- Preview and test the form on a mobile device to ensure questions, answer choices, images, and navigation buttons remain clear and easy to interact with on smaller screens.
Key Takeaways
When creating or reviewing a Google Form, keep these accessibility habits in mind:
- Keep layout simple: Avoid grid question types and consider alternatives to date pickers when plain text or standard options work.
- Make visual media accessible: Add meaningful image captions and ensure videos include accurate captions.
- Design for readability: Use plain language, clear question wording, descriptive link text, readable fonts, and strong color contrast.
- Support the respondent: Keep autosave enabled, provide custom error messages for validated fields, and offer an alternative contact method.
A little planning can help remove barriers and make your forms easier for more people to complete.
Additional Google Forms Information
There is no official UMN-specific tool for reviewing Google Forms accessibility, but following the 7 Core Accessibility Skills can help identify and address common accessibility issues.
Additional guidance:
- How to Make Your Google Forms More Accessible (Pope Tech)
- Make Google Forms Accessible (University of Michigan)
- Google Forms Accessibility: Tips for Forms and Surveys (Wake Forest University)
- Creating Accessible Forms (Harvard University)