Why we don't use placeholder text

We have decided the design system and the services built on it will not use placeholder text in input fields to tell people what to enter.

The decision

The visible label and, where it is needed, hint text should explain sufficiently what answer is expected and how to enter it. If a field still needs placeholder text to make sense, that is a sign the label or hint is doing too little, and the fix is to improve them, not to add a placeholder.

Why placeholder text fails

• It disappears as soon as someone starts typing, so any instructions it held are gone at the exact moment they are needed, and gone entirely for anyone who returns to check their answer.
• It looks like a prefilled answer, so people skip the field or try to delete text that was never really there.
• It is commonly rendered with weak contrast, so it fails SC 1.4.3 Contrast (Minimum) and is hard to read.
• Used instead of a label, it leaves the field with no accessible name, so screen readers cannot announce what the field is for.

What to do instead

• Give every field a clear, visible label that states the question or expected answer.
• When the label alone cannot explain a format or give an example, put that in persistent hint text and connect it with aria-describedby — for example “As it appears on your ID”.
• Never move essential instructions into the placeholder attribute.

See the Form fields foundation and the Input component for the markup and the wider rules on labels and hints.

Why record this

Recording decisions like this, with the reasoning and the date, means we do not have to relitigate them later, and new contributors can understand why the system is the way it is.