- Success Criterion 2.4.1
- Conformance level A
Skip Link That’s Never Visible, Even on Keyboard Focus
2.4.1 — Bypass Blocks
Scenario
Setting
An online spreadsheet's toolbar
What’s wrong
Skip link permanently invisible and never revealed on focus (also its own keyboard-visibility problem).
Example
A QA pass on an online spreadsheet's toolbar turns this up: skip link permanently invisible and never revealed on focus (also its own keyboard-visibility problem).
Why it matters
Keyboard and screen-reader users who otherwise re-traverse repeated headers on every page. On an online spreadsheet's toolbar specifically, they get stuck and can't reach the control.
How to test
Press Tab once on page load and watch for the skip link to appear: if it's permanently invisible (never shown even on focus), it fails.
How to fix
A working bypass (a skip link visible on focus, landmarks (coded page regions), or headings) must let users jump straight to the main content.
Outcome
Fixed, a visitor to an online spreadsheet's toolbar can keep track of where they are on the page.
Who is affected
Keyboard and screen-reader users who otherwise re-traverse repeated headers on every page.
Learn more
- Understanding Understanding document (opens in a new tab)
Related scenarios
- Page With No Way to Skip Repeated Navigation
- No Skip Link, Landmarks, or Headings to Bypass Navigation
- Skip Link That’s Broken and Doesn’t Actually Move Focus
- Skip Link Placed After the Navigation It’s Meant to Skip
- Landmarks Used as a Bypass but Missing Key Content
- Bypass Mechanism With No Heading to Land On