RE: Auto-Tabbing - Is this ever allowed?

I agree leaving the focus at the top of the page creates a more consistent
behaviour. If the page is well designed with Region Landmarks for structure and
Headings for content context, then navigating from the top allows the user to be
in control.

David

 

From: Léonie Watson [mailto:lwatson@paciellogroup.com] 
Sent: Friday, May 29, 2015 4:44 AM
To: 'Phill Jenkins'
Cc: 'Jim Allan'; 'WAI-IG'
Subject: RE: Auto-Tabbing - Is this ever allowed?

 

From: Phill Jenkins [mailto:pjenkins@us.ibm.com] 
Sent: 28 May 2015 23:37

I thought there was some initial consensus with using the Google home page and
the Log-in page example that the keyboard focus placement in the entry field was
best practice. Are you suggesting the keyboard focus be placed somewhere else?
Where?

 

I think leaving focus alone so that people get a consistent experience makes
sense. Manipulating focus is unexpected behaviour, and that actually makes
people work harder instead of making things easier.

 

It isn’t even close to being a convention in the situations you mention above,
let alone on the web in general. So people find themselves in a part of the page
they weren’t expecting to be in. For a keyboard user that may mean extra
keystrokes to get where they really wanted to go, for a screen reader/magnifier
user it may mean completely missed content, for someone with a cognitive
disability it may mean enough of an unexpected disruption it stops them from
completing any task.

 

Leaving focus at the top of the page is the expected convention. People
understand it, are familiar with it, and have strategies for navigating where
they want to go based on that understanding.

 

 

Léonie.

 

-- 

Léonie Watson - Senior accessibility engineer

@LeonieWatson @PacielloGroup PacielloGroup.com