Usability Issues: Tab Order
Open your application. Start hitting Tab on your keyboard. Look where focus goes. Is order intuitive or random? Are all controls accessible?
Try to fill in form in your application. Go through edit boxes, check boxes and radio buttons with Tab. Can you get to another control you are expected to fill with one Tab press? Each time?
Setting correct tab order is a small, yet dull, development task. You don’t gain much completing the task. On the other hand you lose much if you reject to set the tab order properly. Your users get frustrated with the product. User experience peaks down. Everyone starts using competitor’s software. Your company bankrupts... OK, I went too far with that one. However that’s another small thing usability is built from.
Whole usability issues series.
2 comments:
I make that mistake all the time! Another mistake I make is not putting keyboard accelerators on my dialog boxes. Many people like accelerators, and look for them everywhere. I'm personally not keyboard driven, so I forget. Along with your tab order, make sure you add accerators. :) Visit me at www.projectteamblog.com.
Good point. Keyboard shortcuts are another place which can be improved easily and is often overlooked.
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