Accessibility: Navigation

Allow users to navigate your pages using the keyboard

All products must be able to be operated and navigated entirely by using the keyboard. Products that require the use of a mouse or any other specific non-keyboard device are inaccessible. A mouse is only one of a possible range of input devices that could be used to interact with the system, for example stylus, trackball, voice command, etc.

Use common keyboard conventions

Use common keyboard conventions, for example tab key for cycling through elements on the page, enter key for submitting forms, arrow/page up/down keys for scrolling, escape key for cancelling, etc.

Make navigation consistent

Use consistent navigation throughout a product. Always keep navigation panels in the same place in the layout. Use clear labelling of navigation and form elements.

Group the most important functions at the top

The most important content should be the first to be presented to the user. In menus, forms and navigation systems, group the most used functions first at the top of the page and put the less used commands further down. With forms, put fields that are mandatory first followed by any optional fields. (In web pages the main content of a page should be in the first set of 'div' tags tags of the HTML.)

Avoid navigation which requires a high level of hand-to-eye co-ordination

Avoid creating navigation systems where a high degree of hand-to-eye co-ordination is required. Cascading menu systems with multiple levels of selection available often cause difficulty for people with motor-control difficulties. If the system does require somebody to select a particular area of the screen, make the selection area big enough for people to be able to hit the targets accurately and consistently. On the web do not make links around only small icons or very short text.

Rollovers and navigation

Do not store important information inside rollovers. If it is a navigation element the user should not have to move over the item in order to find out what it is. There should be clear labelling of items visible to the user.