Loading
Design annotations are needed for specific instances shown below, but for the standard loading component, Carbon already incorporates accessibility.
What Carbon provides
The loading component has no keyboard accessibility considerations since it is intentionally not operable or navigable. However, Carbon incorporates other accessibility considerations, some of which are described below.
Status updates
The primary accessibility consideration for the loading component is to convey its meaning to assistive technologies so users are aware of changes in status. Carbon achieves this by exposing the title value (normally “loading”) of the spinning wheel SVG image.
Screen readers hear “loading” when a spinning icon appears on the screen.
Design recommendations
Design annotations are needed for the following instance.
Convey when loading has completed
When the loading indicator disappears, it conveys a second meaning, which is ‘not loading’ or ‘finished’. However, a user who cannot see the icon disappear needs to be made aware the system is no longer “loading.”
There are several ways to do this. If new content takes focus when the loading is completed, then users will understand the system is no longer unavailable. Annotating what component takes focus will ensure this is properly implemented.
Where no content changes happen as the loading icon disappears, the information can be surfaced to users through a non-displayed status message, such as “finished” or “loading complete,” that can be conveyed to users through assistive technology.
Development considerations
Keep these considerations in mind if you are modifying Carbon or creating a custom component.
- Carbon uses
aria-liveset to “assertive” to immediately surface a loading status to assistive technologies. - Carbon provides an SVG
titlevalue for the loading icon, which is exposed through thearia-livesection. - The completion of the loading state should be conveyed to assistive technologies. A non-visible status message such as “loading complete” could be put in the
aria-livesection or exposed through arole="status". Alternatively, focus could be set to an appropriate element. - See the Equal Access Toolkit information on status messages.