Given the choice between...
- A) Sifting through data in a spreadsheet 🔢
or - B) Interacting with a beautiful data visualization 📊
Most people say "B". People learn from seeing and experiencing.
Accessible User Experience
How can a person experience your dashboard if they can't use it because it only works for one kind of user? (a mouse user)
Whether a dashboard is good and accessible is up to you, the dashboard creator.
There's a lot to think through and do, but here's where you should start: Keyboard Tab Order.
Why is Keyboard Navigation Important?
Not everyone use a mouse. Some people use a keyboard to navigate the web because of a disability.
- A person who uses a mouse can easily click on a control in the middle of an interface.
- A person who uses a keyboard must navigate element by element, using the keyboard TAB key, to get focus on the control they want to operate.
Visual Indication of Focus
When you press the TAB key, it should move to each interactive element. You should be able to see which element has focus.
Focus Order
As you navigate with the the TAB key, focus should move in an order that follows the visual, logical order - stopping on interactive controls along the way.
The Problem:
When the keyboard tab order is unpredictable, illogical, or disappears, it's very difficult to use. It's an accessibility issue.
How to Fix Tab Order Issues in Data Visualization Platforms
Data Visualization dashboards often have tab order issues which make navigating with a keyboard frustrating or impossible.
Here is how to fix tab order issues on some popular data visualization platforms:
Power BI
How to Control Keyboard Tab Order in Power BI