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CHK-024Checkout · formsMedium

Form labels visible above fields (not placeholder-only)

Form labels visible above fields (not placeholder-only).

Check my store for this rule →Cite this
Free · no card · runs all rules at once · judged on 40 stores · updated
78%of the audited stores we could judge fail this rule
6 pass3 partial31 failPublished audits · September 2026
Stores judged
40
of 40 published audits
Score weight
1.0pts
of the 100-point score
Page share
50%
of the score is the checkout

What earns each verdict

Same outcomes on every UXFix rule · how verdicts work
✓ Pass6

All fields have visible labels above.

~ Partial3

Some fields use floating labels, acceptable when they persist after entry.

✕ Fail31

Labels missing or placeholder-only.

not assessable is recorded when the rule applied but the store could not be judged on it (bot protection, a region lock, a step we could not reach), and not applicable when the store has nothing for the rule to judge. Those stores are left out of every number on this page, never guessed. Why we do that
Why it matters

The checkout form uses placeholder-only labels: the field's purpose is shown as grey text inside the input, and disappears the moment the buyer starts typing.

Placeholder-only labels violate WCAG accessibility, but they also just cost sales. A buyer who types a wrong value, then forgets what the field was for, has to erase everything to see the label again. Frustration compounds.

That sentence is the one a failing store sees in its own UXFix report.How rules are weighted and scored →
40 audited stores, one dot each
31 fail
PassPartialFail

Every published UXFix audit this rule could be judged on, as of 23 Sep 2026. A count of real stores, not a simulation of yours.

How we test it

Scripted walk, fresh signed-out browser · the full walk
  1. 1Fresh browserSigned out, cookies cleared, desktop and mobile viewports, the store's live theme.
  2. 2Open a productA real, in-stock product page, found the way a shopper finds one.
  3. 3Add to cartDefault variant, quantity one, then the cart page itself.
  4. 4Walk the checkoutFrom the cart to the payment step. Nothing is ever bought.
  5. 5Judge this ruleAgainst the standard above, on what a shopper can see.
  6. 6Record the verdictPass, partial or fail, saved with the screenshot it was judged on.
What the agent looks for
Form labels visible above fields (not placeholder-only).
Confidence
The rulebook rates this check’s confidence High. When the agent is not sure, the rule is recorded as not assessable rather than guessed.
Not judged
0 of 40 published audits: the rule did not apply or could not be judged. Dropped, never guessed.

The numbers behind the rule

Published UXFix audits · more statistics
Published audits failing this rule
and 19 more, newest audit first.
Where this rule sits among 103 UX rules
Most-failed rank
#17
Score weight rank
#48
Fail rate
78%

Score weight: a fail costs 1.0 pts of of the 100-point score; a partial costs half that. Most-failed rank is among the 79 rules with enough published audits to report a rate.

The issue, on real stores

from each store's own published audit

9 of the stores that fail this rule, each shown on the screen it was judged on, with the problem area marked. The picture is the store's own capture on the date shown, and stores change.

22 more are in the list above, each with its own audit.

The fix

The same steps a failing store sees in its report

A pass means: All fields have visible labels above.

Severity
Medium
Score gain
+1.0pts
Page
Checkout

Score gain is roughly what a fail-to-pass change adds; rules that could not be judged are left out, which can move it a little. Re-run a free audit after the change ships to confirm the verdict moved.

Checklist for the pass
0 of 3

Tick each step as you ship it. The audit judges the live store, so re-run it once all of them are done.

Every store that fails this rule

The 31 audited stores that fail Form labels visible above fields (not placeholder-only), with each store's published score and the day it was audited.
#StoreScoreAuditedPublished audit
1Leathermanleatherman.com65Open audit
2Ooniooni.com64Open audit
3Mujimuji.us61Open audit
4Arhausarhaus.com60Open audit
5Blackstoneproductsblackstoneproducts.com60Open audit
6Tupperwaretupperware.com60Open audit
7Caspercasper.com62Open audit
8Benettonbenetton.com58Open audit
9Keenfootwearkeenfootwear.com56Open audit
10Verabradleyverabradley.com58Open audit
11Everlaneeverlane.com62Open audit
12Davidsbridaldavidsbridal.com58Open audit
13Tomstoms.com52Open audit
14Bodenboden.com64Open audit
15Eddiebauereddiebauer.com62Open audit
16Forever21forever21.com57Open audit
17Gymsharkgymshark.com57Open audit
18Reebokreebok.com58Open audit
19Reebokreebok.com57Open audit
20Fashionnovafashionnova.com56Open audit
21Kathmandukathmandu.com.au63Open audit
22Bentibrandbentibrand.com66Open audit
23Toysrustoysrus.com57Open audit
24Brewdogbrewdog.com56Open audit
25Zulilyzulily.com61Open audit
26Mejurimejuri.com65Open audit
27Fashionphilefashionphile.com63Open audit
28Timextimex.com54Open audit
29Citstorescitstores.com65Open audit
30Iliabeautyiliabeauty.com62Open audit
31Tentreetentree.com58Open audit

What our auditors say about this rule

A placeholder disappears the moment somebody types. The label has to stay.
Omar Dabbas, Co-founder, UXFix

Written by the person who audits this rule, and reviewed every quarter.

What this rule rests on

The published research and standards this rule is drawn from. Open them and check the reasoning for yourself.

Keep going

All rules →
RuleCHK-001
Guest checkout offered as first-class option (no account wall)Checkout · Critical ›
RuleCHK-003
Clear step indicator showing progress through checkoutCheckout · Medium ›
RuleCHK-005
Ability to edit cart from within checkout without losing progressCheckout · Medium ›
RuleCHK-006
Account creation offered after order placement, not beforeCheckout · High ›
RuleCHK-007
Site logo/name does not link away from checkout (or warns first)Checkout · Medium ›
RuleCHK-008
Header/nav minimized during checkout to reduce exitsCheckout · Medium ›
RuleCHK-009
Total form fields 8 or fewer (industry average is 11.3)Checkout · High ›
RuleCHK-010
Single Full Name field (not first + last)Checkout · Medium ›
Cite this

«31 of 40 online stores audited by UXFix fail the rule "Form labels visible above fields (not placeholder-only)" (CHK-024) as of September 2026. UXFix, uxfix.ai/audits/rules/labels-above-form-fields»

Rule record · JSON
Dataset →
{
  "id": "CHK-024",
  "name": "Form labels visible above fields (not placeholder-only)",
  "area": "checkout",
  "severity": "medium",
  "weight": 0.99,
  "published_audits": {
    "judged": 40,
    "pass": 6,
    "partial": 3,
    "fail": 31
  },
  "updated": "2026-09-23"
}
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