28 / NAVIGATION
Roving Focus
The problem
When every item in a toolbar is a separate Tab stop, keyboard users must press Tab dozens of times to get past it.
The solution
The group is one Tab stop; arrow keys rove focus inside it.
Experiment
Task: Tab into the toolbar, then use arrow keys.
NAIVE
Every button is a Tab stop — press Tab repeatedly to cross the toolbar.
THOUGHTFUL
One Tab stop — Tab in, then use ← → to rove between tools.
active0
wrapTRUE
Play with the values
How it works
Seen in
Toolbars
Formatting toolbars behave as one stop with arrow-key navigation.
Tabs
Tab lists move between tabs with arrows, matching ARIA guidance.
Menus
Menu items are traversed with arrow keys, not Tab.
Radio groups
Arrow keys select within the group as a single focusable unit.