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02-physical.md

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Physical

In the UK around 7 million people have a physical impairment that limits their movement. A further 3.5 million people have a disability that impacts their dexterity. Examples of conditions that limit movement include Cerebral Palsy, Parkinson's and Repetitive Strain Injury.

Keyboard

Many people find it easier to navigate websites using the keyboard rather than the mouse.

Commonly used controls include:

  • arrow keys to scroll, or change the selected value of a radio button group
  • Tab to move from one focussable item to the next
  • Enter to activate a link or button
  • Space to select or deselect a checkbox
  • Esc to cancel a prompt

Note: if you are using Firefox on Mac you need to make some changes to make tab behaviour work as expected.

General guidance

  • Ensure interactive controls are focussable using the Tab key.
  • Keep the tab order logical. Ensure focus doesn't skip unpredictably around the page while tapping the Tab key.
  • It should be immediately obvious which element is currently in focus. Ensure the focus state of each interactive element is clear.
  • If there are a lot of navigation controls at the top of the page, provide a skip link that takes the user to the main content.

Links, forms and buttons

  • All links, form fields and buttons should be accessible using the Tab key
  • Buttons should be activated using both the Enter and Space keys
  • Links should be activated using the Enter key
  • Consider a default action for pressing the Enter key while a form field is in focus

Dropdown menus

  • Dropdown menus should be expanded using the Enter key
  • When a dropdown menu is expanded, links within the menu should be accessible using the Tab key
  • When a dropdown menu is collapsed, links within the menu should not be accessible using the Tab key
  • Dropdown menus should be collapsed using the Esc key

Modal dialogs

  • Modal dialogs should be closed using the Esc key
  • When a modal dialog is open, the focus should be trapped (i.e. pressing the Tab key should never move focus outside of the dialog) until the dialog is closed

Tab lists

  • Tabs (i.e. elements with role=tab) should be accessible using the Tab key
  • Tabs should be activated using the Enter key
  • When a tab panel becomes active, focus should be moved into that tab panel
  • Focusable elements in the active tab panel should be accessible using the Tab key
  • Focusable elements in hidden tab panels should not be accessible using the Tab key

Carousels

  • Consider implementing intuitive shortcuts, such as using the Left and Right cursor keys to move backwards and forwards through the carousel

Further resources

Switch controls

People with limited or no upper body movement may use switch controls, as well as people with cognitive and learning difficulties.

There are several types of switches that accommodate different needs:

  • Sip-and-puff switches are "clicked" by sipping and puffing into a straw
  • Button switches can be activated using the hand, foot or head.
  • Camera switches can be activated when tilting the head into a camera
  • Eye tracking controls can measure where a user is looking, or track the motion of an eye relative to the head.

Note: It is possible to turn your keyboard into a button switch by adjusting your computer's accessibility settings.

Guidance

Much of the guidance that is true for keyboard controls is also true for switch controls. There are also some unique considerations for switch users:

  • Typing using switches is much slower than using a keyboard, with users typically entering between 1 and 2 words per minute. Consider implementing features that reduce the need for typing, such as autocompletion or word prediction.
  • Avoid imposing time limits on form completion or confirmation controls.
  • Scrolling can be slow as operating systems tend to bury the scroll controls. Product developers should try to make important navigation and information appear above the fold, to reduce the impact of scroll fatigue.
  • Switch users may spend a long time completing text fields on forms. If a browser crashes, or the user accidentally closes a tab or hits the Back button, it can be very frustrating to lose all that typing. A feature that automatically saves work in progress can save a lot of time.
  • People are likely to make typos when using switches. Make it easy for users to go back and correct mistakes on forms.

Further resources

Speech input

Speech recognition software enables spoken language to be translated into text and commands.

Guidance

Again, much of the guidance that is true for keyboard controls is also true for speech input. There are also some more nuanced design decisions to consider:

  • Ensure shortcut keys can be disabled or customised. If a speech input user attempts to dictate some text into a field for instance, they might inadvertently activate several shortcut keys.
  • Speech input users activate links by reading the link text. Try to ensure link text is unique, rather than a series of Read more links.