Writing Accessible Dialog Titles
Writing Accessible Dialog Titles replaces the already-owned progress-indicator topic with a distinct APG-supported content pattern for naming modal dialogs.
Give a modal dialog a concise title that states its task or purpose; when that visible title supplies the accessible name, its wording should make sense on its own.
Key details
Important caveats
Scope Boundary
This page covers dialog-title wording; focus management, aria-modal, keyboard behavior, and accessible-name implementation are separate technical concerns.
Further guidance
Content
Write a concise visible title that identifies the dialog’s task or purpose so the same wording can serve as its accessible name.
Practical Application
Give each dialog a concise visible title that states the task or purpose and can stand on its own as the dialog’s accessible name.
Purpose
A clear dialog title gives users immediate context for the modal task and distinguishes it from the underlying page.
Reader Check
Would the title still make sense if announced without the surrounding page, and does it distinguish the dialog from other tasks?
Worked Example
Example: Prefer “Rename project” to a vague title such as “Dialog” or “Action required.”
Sources and evidence
Sources are shown with the role they play in this guide. Historical or style-sensitive claims are kept within the evidence boundary described above.
- Dialog (Modal) Pattern — WAI-ARIA Authoring Practices Guide (opens in a new tab)World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) · W3C APG guidance for accessible dialog names, typically from a visible dialog title.