- Success Criterion 3.2.1
- Conformance level A
3.2.1 · On Focus
Lesson overview · On Focus
In plain language
Merely focusing (tabbing to) an element must not cause big changes — no popups, no navigation, no focus jumps.
Who it affects
Keyboard and screen-reader users, and people who are easily disoriented by surprise UI changes.
How to check
Tab through everything without pressing Enter: nothing should open, navigate, submit, or move focus by itself.
Common misconception
Auto-advancing a wizard the moment a radio button is selected feels like a smooth experience for a mouse user, but it can silently submit a choice a keyboard user was still tabbing past.
Learn more
Scenarios in this lesson
- Element That Loses Focus the Instant It’s Reached
- Tabbing Into a Field That Opens a Modal Automatically
- Tabbing to a Menu Item That Auto-Navigates to Its Page
- Selecting an Option That Submits the Form Automatically
- Keyboard Focus Triggering an Unexpected Scroll Jump
- Tabbing Into a Field That Opens a Chat Widget
- Autofocus Chain That Jumps Focus From One Field to Another
- Focus-Triggered Tooltip That Traps or Reroutes Keyboard Focus
- Radio Button That Selects Itself Just From Receiving Focus