Users expected cursor to apprear in the 1st box and / or auto-forward

[GWSunderland]

[joanneSouthern]

we have been talking about this, it would be really good especially if you are not used to using a mouse

[petegale]

@GWSunderland @joanneSouthern We follow the GDS Design pattern on this that recommends not auto forwarding date fields as being the least problematic approach overall. I've added a link to this page to the page where this design pattern is discussed so if you have any more specific observations on this topic, please add them, as they will help inform this design pattern. We won't respond to this issue immediately, but we should add to the evidence collected across government projects.

[Becktacular]

Not having the auto forward function is a minor inconvenience to sighted users. But in terms of accessibility, for people using a screen reader and keyboard to move around a screen (e.g. visually impaired), having the cursor auto-forward to the next field is unexpected behaviour and can make it almost impossible for them to complete the fields.

[petegale]

@Becktacular I thought that was the case. It's interesting though that the current pattern causes so many usability issues with this audience - especially those older users with poor motor skills, who struggle when they then have to edit the text they've entered into tiny input fields. I wonder if there is a solution out there can address both sets of needs?

[timpaul]

Thanks for sharing this - it's an interesting example of the needs of two groups conflicting with each other. I also think this is one of those things we'll need to keep an eye on, as it's affected by users expectations, which can shift over time.

[EUzkuraityte]

Evidence from Bucks user research:

[EUzkuraityte]

more evidence from Sunderland

[EUzkuraityte]

@sanjaypoyzer I assign this to you in case anything can be done to at least have the cursor located in the 1st box of the page by default.