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Re: Question on setting default focus on a page...

for

From: Bim Egan
Date: May 17, 2016 11:43AM

All good points so far, here's my take. When a screenreader user lands on a
page where focus is put into the first form field:
A) There's a perplexing volume of information coming their way. The reader
will announce the page title, how many headings there are and how many
regions . It may or may not read the field label and the screenreader is put
into forms mode. Forms mode can be a tone or a voiced notification;
B) It's confusing when exactly the same thing happens if the user lands on a
page in an element that puts the screenreader into application mode. In my
screenreaders the audible signals that forms mode is invoked are identical
to the application mode tones. .

So the user's left not being sure which keys to press. The volume of
landing output could obscure the field label announcement or any voiced
forms mode notification, so they may well start using keyboard shortcuts for
headings or regions. (Can't tell you how many times I've typed H1 into a
field trying to get to the main content heading).

If the aim is to make it easy for keyboard only users to reach the start of
the form, a skip link would do the trick. If it's to make it quicker for a
mouse user to click into the first field ... The price is too high.

I agree with Patrick that this is, (or certainly should be), a 2.4.3 focus
order violation.

Best,
Bim


-----Original Message-----
From: WebAIM-Forum [mailto: <EMAIL REMOVED> ] On Behalf
Of Joseph Sherman
Sent: 17 May 2016 17:33
To: 'WebAIM Discussion List'
Subject: Re: [WebAIM] Question on setting default focus on a page...

I think it depends. If it's a page that is a continuation of a form being
filled out, and there is no information on the page prior to the input field
receiving focus, it seems reasonable to start focus on the field. But if
there is information or instruction that is missed or the user will be
surprised to find themselves in a form field that would be a problem.


Joseph

-----Original Message-----
From: WebAIM-Forum [mailto: <EMAIL REMOVED> ] On Behalf
Of Patrick H. Lauke
Sent: Tuesday, May 17, 2016 11:40 AM
To: <EMAIL REMOVED>
Subject: Re: [WebAIM] Question on setting default focus on a page...

On 17/05/2016 15:12, Mike Barlow wrote:
> One of my contacts just brought up something I hadn't heard of before.
> They have a form that they set the default focus to the first input
> field on the form but was told that was a violation because screen
> readers would not read the top of the page if the focus was set into a
> field. Now, I haven't tested the screen reader doing that, but I'm
> pretty sure that's correct (that's pretty much how the "Skip
> Navigation" works). However, I'm not certain if that is really a
> violation or not (don't recall any particular Guideline that addresses
that particular issue).

Arguably it's related to 2.4.3 Focus Order
https://www.w3.org/TR/2008/REC-WCAG20-20081211/#navigation-mechanisms-focus-
order
- and more generally, a user may not be aware that they have been moved
somewhere other than the start of the document, so may not be aware that
there were other elements/content prior to their position.

P
--
Patrick H. Lauke

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