Keyboard handling enables users to access every UI element of the application with the keyboard and is therefore tightly connected to accessibility. Additionally, this aspect is coupled to the screen reader functionality.
Accessibility of UI elements
Make sure that all available features of the application can be accessed by using only the keyboard - TAB, arrows, ENTER and SPACE. The user should be able to activate the functionality of all active elements.
Tab order and reading order
Start the application and put away your mouse.
Can you reach every active screen element just by using the keyboard?
Is this true also for dynamically created texts or control elements?
Can you navigate within control elements (for example, list, table, tabstrip) using arrow keys?
Can you also navigate away from each UI element using the keyboard?
Does the visible focus follow the exact keyboard commands? Is it always identifiable and in the visible area?
Can you execute all actions? (Compare with what you can do with the mouse)