Put the mouse down.
Seriously, slide it across the desk and step away from the trackpad.
We challenge you to spend just two minutes navigating your own website using nothing but your keyboard.
Hit the ‘Tab’ key and see exactly where it takes you. Hit “Enter” when you land somewhere like a link and want to follow that link.
Can you find your checkout button?
Are you able to easily read your company’s mission statement?
If getting around your site feels like a frustrating puzzle with missing pieces, we need to talk. If you have no idea where you are on your site because there is no visual indication of where you are, we need to talk stat.
The Power of the Tab Key
For a large portion of the population, a mouse simply isn’t an option.
People with motor disabilities, tremors, or even a temporary wrist injury rely entirely on keyboard navigation to explore the digital world.
People with low vision or blindness rely entirely on the keyboard to use websites.
Keyboard accessibility is one of the most important aspects of web accessibility.
Plus, power users like gamers, financial traders, web developers, engineers and customer support specialist, love a good keyboard shortcut.
When you design for the keyboard, you are designing for a smoother experience for absolutely everyone.
The Two-Minute Challenge
So, here is your homework for the day.
Go to your homepage.
A keyboard user typically uses the Tab key to navigate through interactive elements on a web page—links, buttons, fields for inputting text, etc.
Use the ‘Tab’ key to move forward, ‘Shift + Tab’ to move backward, and ‘Enter’ to select a link.
If you get stuck on a broken menu or trapped in a popup, take notes.
Then, let’s work together to make those digital barriers disappear.
