3.2.1 On Focus

When a user moves keyboard focus to a component, nothing unexpected should happen automatically. No new pages should open, no forms should submit, no content should update in a way that disorients the user.

Changes of context include: opening a new window, moving focus to a different component, substantially changing the page content, or navigating to a different page.

Do not attach significant actions to focus events. Actions should be triggered by user intent (clicking, pressing Enter or Space) rather than by merely landing on a component.

Select menus that automatically submit the form when an option is focused (rather than selected) violate this criterion.

Tooltip-like content that appears on focus is acceptable, as it does not cause a context change.

• Select dropdown where focusing on an option immediately navigates to a new page
• Form that submits when a field receives focus
• New window or popup that opens when a link receives keyboard focus