- Success Criterion 3.2.1
- Conformance level A
Radio Button That Selects Itself Just From Receiving Focus
3.2.1 — On Focus
Scenario
Setting
A weather app's forecast screen
What’s wrong
A control is activated or selected merely by receiving keyboard focus — e.g., radio buttons that auto-select while the user tabs through them — changing values the user never chose.
Example
<select onfocus="submitForm()">Why it matters
Keyboard and screen-reader users, and people who are easily disoriented by surprise UI changes.
How to test
Tab to a radio button or option and stop (don't press Enter or Space): if it becomes selected merely from receiving focus, it fails.
How to fix
Receiving keyboard focus must cause no change — no activation, selection, navigation, popup, or focus jump.
<select onchange="updatePreview()"></select><button onclick="submitForm()">Apply</button>Simply moving focus into a control must never trigger a context change like submission or navigation.
Outcome
On a weather app's forecast screen, this barrier is gone for keyboard and screen-reader users — they reach the same outcome without extra effort.
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
- Keyboard Focus Triggering an Unexpected Scroll Jump
- Tabbing Into a Field That Opens a Chat Widget