- Success Criterion 2.4.3
- Conformance level A
- W3C reference F85
Dialog That Opens Far From the Button That Triggered It
2.4.3 — Focus Order
Scenario
Setting
A ticket marketplace's seat-selection map
What’s wrong
A dialog or menu opens far away in the tab order from the button that opened it — keyboard users tab onward and never find it.
Example
Watch a ticket marketplace's seat-selection map closely and you'll spot this: a dialog or menu opens far away in the tab order from the button that opened it — keyboard users tab onward and never find it.
Why it matters
Keyboard and screen-reader users who follow focus rather than the pointer. Here, on a ticket marketplace's seat-selection map, the result is they can't complete the task using a keyboard alone.
How to test
Open a dialog/menu and immediately press Tab: if it lands somewhere else in the page instead of inside the dialog (dialog markup sits far from its trigger in the DOM), it fails.
How to fix
Insert the dialog/menu immediately after its trigger in the focus order (or move focus into it on open).
Outcome
After the fix, the same visitor to a ticket marketplace's seat-selection map can now reach and operate the control without a mouse.
Who is affected
Keyboard and screen-reader users who follow focus rather than the pointer.
Learn more
- Understanding Understanding document (opens in a new tab)
- Technique Related technique (opens in a new tab)
Related scenarios
- Tab Order That Jumps Around the Page Illogically
- Visual Layout Order That Doesn’t Match the Keyboard Tab Order
- Modal That Opens Without Moving Keyboard Focus Into It
- Modal That Closes Without Returning Focus to Its Trigger
- Expanded Content That Never Receives Keyboard Focus
- Hidden Navigation Items That Are Still Reachable by Tab