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UX Atlas
TermCraft conventionFoundational

Focus Order

The order things get selected as you press Tab.

Definition

The sequence in which interactive elements receive keyboard focus.

Craft convention. True because the industry converged on it. Breaking it costs familiarity, not correctness.

In plain language

The order things get selected as you press Tab.

Example

Focus order should follow the visual order. A positive tabindex breaks this and should be avoided.

Each link says what the connection is, so you can tell a principle from an alternative from a thing people mix this up with.

Deeper reading

The full entry behind this definition.

Nearby in the Atlas

Adjacent territory, found through shared tags rather than a stated link.