Go to the Site That You Want to Test.
- Refresh the page to ensure you are on the address bar.
- Use the tab key to move down through the entire page.
- Use the shift+tab key to move back up through the page.
What Should be Looked For
- The first tab should get you to a "skip link" or "skip to main content" link.
- Every interactive element should appear in the tabbing order when testing.
- When tabbing, there is a clear visible focus box around the content you are tabbing to.
Below is an example of a visible focus box around "offices."
Below is an example of a not-visible focus box around the search bar.
The blue around it should be darker to make the color contrast pass.
Below is an example of no focus box around “Partners.”
There is not focus on the "Partners" link at all.
- While testing, use “enter” or “return” when on a tab focus item to confirm that it will select where the tab focus item is showing.
In the following example, we were using the "enter" or "return" key while the tab focus was on "offices" and it brought me to the "offices" homepage.
- Use the mouse to hover over each interactive element to see the hover state. Compare to tab focus state to confirm that there is an equivalent state.
For example, hovering the mouse over a menu causes a drop-down of sub-options. Verify that this happens with the tabbing as well.
- You should be able to use your keyboard to dismiss any pop-up windows that cover the main content.
- You will also need to test other important key (s) that keyboard-only users use while exploring the internet. The table below shows essential keystrokes that should be tested on a web page and the expected outcome:
| Interaction | Keystoke(s) | Expected Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| Navigate the Webpage |
|
|
| Link |
|
|
| Button |
|
|
| Checkbox |
|
|
| Radio buttons |
|
|
| Select (dropdown) menu |
|
|
| Autocomplete |
|
|
| Dialog |
|
|
| Slider |
|
|
| Menu bar |
|
|
| Tab panel |
|
|
| ’Tree’ menu |
|
|
| Scroll |
|
|
Additional Resources
Microsoft Insights chrome extension has a walk through on keyboard testing that walk you through and show you where you are tabbed, which can be helpful if the site does not have focus.
- Along with the guides listed above, it shows the path it took, allowing the test to verify the tabbing order is logical. Doing the assessment is a lengthy test that is useful for testing, though if you only want to do keyboard testing, you can you the keyboard section, which will help you walk through the entire testing.
- Screen reader Keyboard Shortcuts: