- Success Criterion 3.2.2
- Conformance level A
Search Box That Auto-Navigates Once Enough Characters Are Typed
3.2.2 — On Input
Scenario
Setting
A community forum's discussion thread
What’s wrong
Typing in a search box auto-navigating to results page at N characters.
Example
Try this on a community forum's discussion thread: typing in a search box auto-navigating to results page at N characters.
Why it matters
Keyboard and screen-reader users, and people who need predictable form behavior. The practical effect on a community forum's discussion thread: they lose confidence they're in the right place.
How to test
Type in a search box and stop typing (don't press Enter): if it auto-navigates to a results page after a certain number of characters, it fails.
How to fix
Changing a field's value must not navigate, submit, close, or change context unless the user was told beforehand or explicitly confirms.
Outcome
That one change on a community forum's discussion thread means they move confidently between pages.
Who is affected
Keyboard and screen-reader users, and people who need predictable form behavior.
Learn more
- Understanding Understanding document (opens in a new tab)
Related scenarios
- Form That Submits Itself the Moment the Last Field Is Filled
- Selecting an Option That Opens a New Window With No Warning
- Dropdown That Navigates to a New Page on Selection
- Checking a Box That Reloads the Page and Loses Entries
- Country Selector That Re-Renders the Form and Drops Focus
- Radio Selection That Auto-Advances a Multi-Step Wizard