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Re: Tabindex and initial focus

for

From: Shane Anderson
Date: Feb 8, 2018 8:53PM

I'm not sure if I would dismiss this design pattern. Sure, it doesn't work
on general web pages someone visits occasionally, but when dealing with
repeated data entry tasks it can be useful. Needing to navigate to the
first form field with a mouse or tab key could be a big frustration and
waste of time.

The use case should determine if it is used appropriately or not. If it's
meant for repeated daily use (e.g. office staff inputing data 20 times a
day), removing it could hurt the overall experience more than it helps.

Regards
Shane Anderson


On Sat, Feb 3, 2018 at 11:04 AM, Birkir R. Gunnarsson <
<EMAIL REMOVED> > wrote:

> My instructions to my team are never to put focus inside the page if
> the page is a landing page or if there are important instructions at
> the top of the form.
> I strongly recommend putting focus directly on a form ield if the page
> is a log in page or if this is a form with errors.
> Any other situation we treat on a case by case basis.
> It's a fact that a screen reader user can get to the top of the page
> withone key strok, a keyboard only user may have to tab many times to
> get to the first form field (well, unless the page has a skip link).
>
>
>
> On 2/3/18, Ryan E. Benson < <EMAIL REMOVED> > wrote:
> > This same question came up in another forum I'm in. There was an
> > overwhelming support of dropping people to the first field. I am torn on
> > the issue because if you do that, you may miss instructions, or if it is
> a
> > basic form, would it have that many instructions? We have PeopleSoft too,
> > but not many people use it. So if you have a disability, putting focus on
> > the first element saves you a few seconds, and the screens don't change.
> >
> > Ryan E. Benson
> >
> > On Feb 2, 2018 22:17, "Birkir R. Gunnarsson" <
> <EMAIL REMOVED> >
> > wrote:
> >
> >> I like the solution, but I'm not sure it addresses the initial question.
> >> Setting a positive tabindex on an element by itself should not cause a
> >> screen reader to autofocus on the element.
> >> It only ensures that when the page loads and the user presses the tab
> >> key, that the element with the lowest positive tabindex receives ocus.
> >> MOst screen reader users do not use the tab key to inspect a page,
> >> they are much more likely to explore using the arrow keys, navigate by
> >> headings, landmarks or other semantic elements. Tabbing through the
> >> webpage is not a good exploration technique for a screen reader user,
> >> it is slow, cumbersome, and the user misses out on all the
> >> non-focusable content.
> >>
> >> So, if the focus is automatically placed on the first form field when
> >> the page loads, there's got to be something else going on, either a
> >> JavaScript focus() function or an autofocus attribute.
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >> On 2/1/18, Swift, Daniel P. < <EMAIL REMOVED> > wrote:
> >> > Good call, Jonathan:
> >> >
> >> > $(document).ready(function() {
> >> > $('input').each(function(){
> >> > if ($(this).attr('tabindex') > 0)
> >> > $(this).attr('tabindex', 0);
> >> > });
> >> > });
> >> >
> >> >
> >> > Dan Swift
> >> > Senior Web Specialist
> >> > Enterprise Services
> >> > West Chester University
> >> > 610.738.0589
> >> >
> >> >