Why it matters
Unexpected changes when tabbing through a page disorient users, especially screen reader and keyboard users.
Common violations
- Forms that submit when a field receives focus
- Dropdowns that navigate away on focus
- Modals that open automatically when focusing a link
- Page content that changes when tabbing to an element
Code examples
Bad
<select onfocus="window.location = this.value">...</select>Good
<select onchange="handleChange()">...</select>
<button type="submit">Go</button>How to fix
Trigger context changes only on explicit user actions like clicks or submissions, not on focus events.
Related criteria
Related resources
Test & fix this criterion
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