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RE: skip-nav tabindex setfocus etc.

for

From: Alastair Campbell
Date: Mar 15, 2006 1:20PM

Unusually, I disagree with Gez on a couple of points:

> A link phrase of "main content",
> "navigation menu", or anything else that describes the target rather
> than the action is less likely to confuse people.

In some instances, yes, but it could depend on a few other factors,
including source order.

Focusing on visual & keyboard access: If you have a typical layout (e.g.
header, 3 columns including left navigation), with the navigation at the
bottom of the source code; is having a link "navigation menu" just above
the navigation (visually) not going to be confusing?

In this context, I would have thought the model for it would be more of
an action? Visually you are moving the focus rather than going
somewhere, as you aren't even scrolling significantly.

I'm struggling to think of what is actually useful in this situation,
any skip link is either going to appear useless, or actually be useless!
(i.e. it looks like the navigation is next so the skip link looks
useless, or the skip link is to the content which is next anyway.)

> I agree with Patrick that this is really a user-agent issue - skip
> links are a hack to make up for shortfalls in user-agents.
Agreed.

> Having said
> that, if you're going to provide skip links, I don't see the point in
> hiding them, as the very people that could benefit from them are
> likely to miss them.

(I'm having flash backs to an accesskey discussion!)
There are two broad groups who can benefit from skip links, people using
screen readers or linear (e.g. text or mobile) browsers, and those who
use a keyboard (or equivalent) and can see the screen (including
layout).

The first group I tend to cater for by putting the main navigation at
the bottom of the source order, and providing skip links to it. (Content
first is generally nicer to deal with linear access). They are not
affected by this discussion. The second group is then harder to deal
with, as the order of page elements is not as expected.

Usually I have worked down to an answer by this point of an email, but
the best I can think of at the moment is to move the skip link from the
left (above or near the navigation) to the somewhere on the right at the
top of the content area.

A hidden link might also work better if it were just above a
consistently placed link at the top of the content area (such as a
breadcrumb trail), rather than in the header.

Kind regards,

-Alastair

--
Alastair Campbell | Director of User Experience

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