Success Criterion 2.4.3
Conformance level A

Modal That Closes Without Returning Focus to Its Trigger

2.4.3 — Focus Order

Scenario

Setting

An online clothing store's product listing page

What’s wrong

Closing a modal without returning focus to the trigger (focus dumped to body/top).

Example

.field-3 { order: 1; } .field-1 { order: 3; } /* tab order scrambled by CSS */

Why it matters

Keyboard and screen-reader users who follow focus rather than the pointer.

How to test

Close a modal (Esc or the close button) and check where focus lands: if it goes to body/top instead of back to the element that opened the modal, it fails.

How to fix

Return focus to the triggering control when the dialog closes.

<!-- Reorder the actual DOM nodes to match the intended focus sequence -->

Focus order should follow a sequence that preserves meaning, matching how the content is meant to be read.

Outcome

On an online clothing store's product listing page, this barrier is gone for keyboard and screen-reader users who follow focus rather than the pointer — they can complete the task without hitting this wall.

Who is affected