The button
Button text.
Say what happens next.
Continue, Next, and Submit don't say what you get. The label should.
The short answer
Put the next step on the button. Continue, Next, Submit, Go, Proceed, Ok, Okay, and Done, as the whole label, are the finding. For a button that says Continue, the fix is “Change “Continue” so it says what happens next.”
Walk your signup
Why the label stalls
You filled the email. The button says Continue. Continue where? The next screen could be the product, a card, or another form. You press it to find out. A label that names the step does not make you guess.
Create account, Get started, and Continue with email already say more. Those are not this finding. The vague list is one of those words as the whole label. A single trailing mark can sit on it. Anything else is not it.
What Stumblet flags
1“Continue” doesn't say what happens next
The submit control's whole label is Continue, Next, Submit, Go, Proceed, Ok, Okay, or Done. The title is “Continue” doesn't say what happens next. The fix is “Change “Continue” so it says what happens next.” The line is “Continue” doesn't say what happens after I press it. The rank is 35. The title keeps the label as written. One trailing full stop, exclamation mark, or question mark is dropped first, so “Continue.” uses Continue.
The title and the fix clip that label at 24 characters. The line clips it at 40. These words are shorter than both. A second punctuation mark does not match, and neither do extra words. “Get started” can be the button the walker reads, and it is still not this finding.
Specific findings sort by rank, highest first. An earlier screen wins a tie. A required terms box ranks at 36, so that sits above this one. A vague heading ranks at 38. Work email only ranks at 42. Step 1/2 ranks at 34 when the screen has a headline, or an email or password field, so this finding stays above it. A step label whose total is from 4 to 12, such as Step 1/4, ranks at 38. A missing price ranks at 32 and is a template finding, so it sits behind this one. Unmarked required fields rank at 41 and are a generic form finding, so they sit behind it too. A button that stayed disabled ranks at 66, when that later check records it. The report keeps five fixes.
2The submit control, and a screen that is not a form
The walker reads one control. A type=submit that is not a link wins, including one that is still disabled. If there is no submit, a button that starts with continue, next, or get started is next. A provider button, a show-password control, a chrome link, and a decorative control are skipped before that pick. The questions below have the lists.
The finding runs when that label is vague and the screen has an email field or a password field. It also runs when the screen has no fields left, so a lone Continue counts. A trap field is removed first. If other fields remain, and none is an email or a password, there is no finding. A name field, a company field, or choice fields, with Continue beside them, are not it. A confirm-password field counts as a password field.
Every screen the walk plans is checked. A later screen counts.
3The mocked-up button
When this finding is the one drawn, the after button is Your next step here. The heading stays. It is the step's headline when there is one. With no headline, it uses the screen name, unless that name is the button or the document title, and then it is Create your account. This finding does not rewrite the heading.
The after side keeps up to three field labels, and still drops a label it already treats as extra, and a label that says checkbox or radio. If nothing is left, the after side shows Email and Password. A higher finding can be the one drawn instead. A finding whose screen, or what the step did, says hands off to is not the one drawn. The questions below have the dropped labels, and when there is no mockup.
What the rest of the first screen should say is on signup page copy. A button that stays disabled is on signup button.
Questions
Which labels count?
Continue, Next, Submit, Go, Proceed, Ok, Okay, and Done. The whole label, after the spaces are collapsed. Capitals stay as written. One trailing full stop, exclamation mark, or question mark is allowed, and then dropped, so “Continue.” is still “Continue” in the title. A second mark does not count, and an ellipsis does not count. Extra words do not count. “Continue with email”, “Continue to payment”, “Next step”, and “Get started” are not this finding. The title and the fix clip the label at 24 characters. The line clips it at 40, then adds a full stop. None of these words reach either limit.
Which control is the button?
One control. A show-password control is skipped: password visibility, show password, hide password, reveal password, show value, or hide value. A provider button is skipped: a label that is only a provider name, a label that names a provider and also says continue, sign, log, or with, or a label that starts with continue, sign up, sign in, log in, or login and also names a provider. A chrome control is skipped when the whole label is help, back, skip, close, menu, sign in, log in, login, pricing, blog, changelog, jobs, docs, demo, faq, faqs, bookmakers, or calculators. A link whose label ends with home is skipped. Decorative controls are skipped: read more, click to reveal, an @ handle, a line that starts with loved by and a number, a lone close mark, and a show line that is not show password or show value. Then the walker picks, in order. A control that is not a link and whose type is submit. An enabled one wins, and a disabled submit still wins over every later rule. Then a button whose label starts with continue, next, or get started, an enabled one first. Then an enabled control that is not a link, when the label is signup text of 48 characters or fewer. Then an enabled link with that signup text. Then the first enabled button, or the first enabled control whose type is button. Signup text is not log in, login, sign in, or signin, and it is not a provider button. It matches start free, start tracking, start and a digit with a space between them, 7-day trial, get started, sign up, try free, create account, create my account, create your account, create an account, start your trial, continue with email, your plan, choose a plan, select a plan, continue to payment, or a label that starts with continue or next. “Get started” can be that button and still not be this finding.
What if the screen has no email field and no password field?
A screen with no fields left is still checked, so a lone Continue is this finding. A trap field is removed first. The words are leave this field blank, leave the field blank, leave field blank, leave blank, do not fill, honeypot, for bots only, and bot-field. If fields remain, and none is an email or a password, there is no finding. A name field, a company field, or choice fields, with Continue beside them, are not it. An email field is type email, autocomplete email, or email or e-mail in the type, label, name, placeholder, or autocomplete. A password field is type password, or password or passcode in those same places. A confirm-password field counts, because password is in one of those places.
Does a later screen count?
Yes. Every screen the walk plans is checked. This is not limited to the first screen. The rank is 35. Specific findings sort by that number, highest first, and an earlier screen wins a tie. Two buckets sit behind every specific finding, whatever their number: a template finding, such as a missing price at 32, and a generic form finding, which is unmarked required fields or labels that are not tied to the fields. A required terms box ranks at 36, so that sits above this one. A vague heading ranks at 38. Work email only ranks at 42. Step 1/2 ranks at 34 when the screen has a headline or an email or password field, so this finding stays above it. A step label whose total is from 4 to 12, such as Step 1/4, ranks at 38. A button that stayed disabled ranks at 66, when that later check records it. The report keeps five fixes.
What does the mockup change?
When this finding is the one drawn, the after button is Your next step here. This finding does not change the heading. The after heading is the step's headline when there is one. With no headline, it uses the screen name, unless that name is the button or the document title, and then it is Create your account. A screen name that ends in …, with at least 8 characters before the ellipsis, and that starts the document title, counts as the title. The after side keeps up to three field labels. A label that says checkbox or radio is dropped. A label is also dropped when it matches company, organisation or organization, team size, company size, employees, role, job title, phone, use case, industry, workspace, headcount, website, username, user name, display name, confirm password, repeat password, re-enter password, reenter password, password again, or again password. If nothing is left, the after side shows Email and Password. A higher finding can be the one drawn instead. A finding whose screen, or what the step did, says hands off to is not the one drawn. There is no mockup when the page did not load, when a bot check or a human check stopped the walk, when the URL is not a signup, or when the signup is clean.
Which fields to cut is on signup fields. Asking for the password twice is on confirm password. What the first screen should say is on signup page copy. Showing the rules before anyone types is on password rules. Asking for a work email is on work email. A provider button above the email is on social login. A password with no show control is on show password. A required terms tick box is on terms box. A card before the product is on credit card. Welcome back on a first visit is on welcome back. Running it yourself, and keeping the top five, is the new-user signup test. The short list is the onboarding checklist. The AI onboarding audit is the walk, and the signup prompt is the job it runs.
The walk is free. It starts on the home page.
Walk your signup