Tab Order

2.4.3  Focus Order (A)

Requirements

• All elements that can be selected via keyboard tabbing are visible or become visible when they receive focus.
• The tab order of the page is in a logical sequence that allows the user to be able to predict the next link to receive focus.

Full explanation

The tab order of a page (the order that page links and form controls are selected when the tab key is used) should be logical. It should represent the way that a sighted user would read the page; typically left to right, top to bottom.

Unlike mouse users, keyboard-only users rely on being able to follow the sequence of links using keyboard ‘tabbing’. If a user comes across a non-visible link then the focus simply disappears. Because of this the user can lose track of the current focus and become disorientated.

Test at the same time

• 2.1.1 Keyboard
• 2.1.2 No Keyboard Trap

How to test

1. Open the web page to be tested.
2. Start with focus at the top of the page (in the address bar) and use the Tab key to move through the page from element to element, e.g. button, link, form field. Check that focus moves through the page in a logical sequence that does not negatively affect the meaning or operation of the page’s components.

Potential access issues

• The Tab order does not follow logical relationships and sequences in the content.
• A dialog or menu is opened, but the focus is not set to the dialog or menu, and it is not adjacent to the control that triggered it, thereby forcing the user to Tab through the content in between to reach the dialog or menu.
• Upon closing a dialog or menu, the focus returns to the underlying document, but not to the control that initially triggered the dialog or menu, forcing the user to Tab through the document from the beginning to reach that point in the document from which they originally opened the dialog or menu.