S2E18: What it really takes to build accessible forms

Discussing Stupid: A byte-sized podcast on stupid UX

In the Season 2 finale of Discussing Stupid, Virgil and Cole are joined by Ali Gillberg, a senior developer at High Monkey, to talk about one of the most broken (and misunderstood) parts of UX: form accessibility.

Using a real-world PowerApps project for the Minnesota Office of Accessibility, the team breaks down the invisible complexity of building forms that actually work for all users, including those using screen readers or assistive tech. Spoiler: most “accessible” forms aren’t.

In this episode, they dig into:

• The most common accessibility fails in forms (labeling, tab order, cryptic errors)
• Why Microsoft tools like PowerApps and SharePoint often work against accessibility
• How poor form validation breaks user experience and trust
• What it really takes to make dynamic forms work properly
• The tedious but necessary work behind making forms usable for everyone

Whether you’re designing a public-facing form or managing internal workflows, this episode will change how you think about accessibility, and show why most tools still fall short.

This wraps up Season 2 of Discussing Stupid. We’ll be back in September with new episodes, fresh rants, and more stupid digital decisions to unpack. Thanks for listening!

For more conversations about digital strategy, UX, accessibility, and all the ways we get it wrong (and how to get it right), visit www.discussingstupid.com and subscribe on your favorite podcast platform.

(0:00) - Intro

(3:13) - The form looks fine… but is it usable?

(4:57) - The false promise of built in accessibility

(6:08) - Inside a real accessible PowerApps build

(10:15) - What screen readers see (that you don't)

(12:12) - The workarounds nobody talks about

(16:33) - Why this problem isn't just Microsoft's fault

(17:38) - Outro

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