Tab Orderings Correct and Logical
When you cannot use the mouse the order in which the main navigational elements and links appear in a webpage is very important. It is possible to specify this order but it is best to ensure that the code for the webpage results in a logical automatic tabbing order down a page in the same way that a page would linearise without any structural elements such as style sheets, frames or tables. (W3C WCAG 2.0 1.3, W3C WCAG 2.0 2.1, W3C WCAG 2.0 2.4 and W3C WCAG 2.0 3.2).
Testing Techniques
These techniques may be used to perform the test.
Method
Quick Overview Use the tab key to navigate down the chosen pages. WebAim WAVE Structure Order, WeBBIE and Thunder or any other screen reader for read order. Use 'text only view' in WAVE to check 'skip to content' or 'skip navigation' links if these cannot be seen.
Criteria for this Test
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Poor tab order as the selection does not logically move down the page. |
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Intermittent random ordering with selection jumping from one area to another. |
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Tab order generally good but fails within tables and forms and does not work in Flash applications. |
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Logical tab order with 'skip to content' or 'skip navigation' link when appropriate. |
