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UI/UX components critical

Modal Dialog Design Best Practices

Modal dialog patterns, focus management, escape key handling, backdrop design, and accessibility based on WCAG 2.2, WAI-ARIA APG, Material Design 3, and Nielsen Norman Group research.

Difficulty
intermediate
Read time
1 min read
Version
v1.0.0
Confidence
established
Last updated

Quick Reference

Use native <dialog> with showModal() for automatic focus trap and Escape key. Set aria-labelledby to dialog title. Return focus to trigger element on close. Use inert attribute on background content. Backdrop should be semi-transparent (rgba(0,0,0,0.5)). Respect prefers-reduced-motion for animations.

Use When

  • Creating modal dialog components
  • Implementing confirmation dialogs
  • Building alert or warning modals
  • Designing form overlays
  • Making dialogs accessible

Skip When

  • Creating non-modal dialogs (sidebars, popovers)
  • Building toast notifications
  • Implementing dropdown menus

Modal Dialog Design Best Practices

Modal dialog patterns, focus management, escape key handling, backdrop design, and accessibility based on WCAG 2.2, WAI-ARIA APG, Material Design 3, and Nielsen Norman Group research.

Tags

modals dialogs accessibility focus-trap aria wcag

Discussion