- Success Criterion 3.2.1
- Conformance level A
Tabbing to a Menu Item That Auto-Navigates to Its Page
3.2.1 — On Focus
Scenario
Setting
An e-book reader's library page
What’s wrong
Tabbing to a menu item auto-navigates to its page.
Example
Consider an e-book reader's library page: tabbing to a menu item auto-navigates to its page.
Why it matters
Keyboard and screen-reader users, and people who are easily disoriented by surprise UI changes. The practical effect on an e-book reader's library page: they lose confidence they're in the right place.
How to test
Tab to a menu item and stop: if the page navigates to that item's destination automatically without pressing Enter, it fails.
How to fix
Receiving keyboard focus must cause no change — no activation, selection, navigation, popup, or focus jump.
Outcome
That one change on an e-book reader's library page means they move confidently between pages.
Who is affected
Keyboard and screen-reader users, and people who are easily disoriented by surprise UI changes.
Learn more
- Understanding Understanding document (opens in a new tab)
Related scenarios
- Element That Loses Focus the Instant It’s Reached
- Tabbing Into a Field That Opens a Modal Automatically
- 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