- Success Criterion 3.2.1
- Conformance level A
Keyboard Focus Triggering an Unexpected Scroll Jump
3.2.1 — On Focus
Scenario
Setting
A podcast app's episode list
What’s wrong
Focus triggering scroll-jacking that relocates the user to a different section (context change).
Example
A QA pass on a podcast app's episode list turns this up: focus triggering scroll-jacking that relocates the user to a different section (context change).
Why it matters
Keyboard and screen-reader users, and people who are easily disoriented by surprise UI changes. On a podcast app's episode list, that means they can't predict where to find the same feature.
How to test
Tab to an element and stop: if the page scroll-jacks to a different section automatically, it fails.
How to fix
Receiving keyboard focus must cause no change — no activation, selection, navigation, popup, or focus jump.
Outcome
With the fix in place on a podcast app's episode list, they predict where to look without relearning the layout.
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
- Tabbing to a Menu Item That Auto-Navigates to Its Page
- Selecting an Option That Submits the Form Automatically
- Tabbing Into a Field That Opens a Chat Widget
- Autofocus Chain That Jumps Focus From One Field to Another