Keyboard navigation testing

All functionality should work using a keyboard. This is essential for all assistive technology to work properly. Most keyboard testing should be checked manually. The best time to test this is during development.

How to keyboard test:

Tab through your pages, links and forms to do the following tests:

  • Confirm all links can be reached and activated via keyboard, including any inside drop-downs
  • Confirm all links have a strong visible focus indicator
  • Confirm all focusable visually hidden content (such as skip links) becomes visible when in focus.
  • Confirm all interactions – form fields, buttons, and other controls – can be triggered via keyboard. Any action you can complete with a mouse must also be possible from the keyboard.
  • Perform keyboard tests both with a screen reader and without. Screen reader use of the keyboard can override custom keyboard scripting.