- Success Criterion 2.4.3
- Conformance level A
Multi-Column Form With an Illogical Keyboard Tab Order
2.4.3 — Focus Order
Scenario
Setting
A childcare-booking service's scheduling page
What’s wrong
Multi-column forms tabbing across rows instead of down logical groups where order affects meaning (e.g., paired label/value entry).
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
Tab through a multi-column form: if the order jumps across columns/rows instead of following the logical fill sequence, it fails.
How to fix
Order the DOM so Tab moves through fields in the logical entry sequence.
<!-- 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 a childcare-booking service's scheduling page, this barrier is gone for keyboard and screen-reader users who follow focus rather than the pointer — they reach the same outcome without extra effort.
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)
Related scenarios
- Tab Order That Jumps Around the Page Illogically
- Dialog That Opens Far From the Button That Triggered It
- 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