Re: Clarifying WCAG 2.4.7 Focus Visible

I have had the same original query. This situation arises when a control is activated by touch or mouse so it then receives  programmatic focus, for example activating a toggle button to menu control. Focus is now on the activated control but it wasn’t moved there by keyboard operation.

WCAG 2.4.7 refers specifically applies to keyboard operation but we should be anticipating that people will use a mixture of access modes (e.g. click on a top level menu and then use keys to select an item).

Designers query that the focus indicator is displayed when it’s not part of their design and it need careful discussion as often it improves user experience to highlight which control they have just activated.

Regards

Abi James


On 2 Jun 2023, at 09:31, Patrick H. Lauke <redux@splintered.co.uk> wrote:


On 02/06/2023 09:17, Chaals Nevile wrote:
>
> As a mouse user, hover state is actually equivalent to what a keyboard
> user gets with focus. This is a deep and tangled mess unfortunately -
> and for touchscreens often even worse :(

Sure, but in the context of WCAG 2.4.7, we are only talking about the
focus state, not the hover state.

Whether or not WCAG should also say something about hover state is a
different discussion.

P
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Patrick H. Lauke

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Received on Friday, 2 June 2023 09:11:22 UTC