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Forms: Automatic redirection by selection menus
People often come across navigation forms that use a selection menu. The visitor is redirected once he has selected an option. Web developers tend to use such menus as they are space efficient compared to regular lists of text links. They often choose to omit a submit button on these forms; as soon as the visitor makes a selection from the list, he is automatically redirected to another location.
Disadvantages
Confusion
It is important for visitors to be able to use a website at their own pace. A form that ‘submits’ itself automatically could cause confusion. The visitor does not expect this to happen when he selects an option from the menu. Menus like this are fallible.
Disadvantages for keyboard users
Visitors who have a mobility impairment as well as people with user agents, like mobile phones and PDAs, cannot always use a mouse. They have to rely on other means to navigate through the menu, for instance, using the keyboard to go through the menu options step by step. In many cases, these visitors will immediately be redirected at each step. This must be taken into account (and tested) while developing the scripts for this type of menu.
The visitor can to get round the behaviour described above by pressing the alt key while navigating through the menu. However, it must be assumed that most users are not familiar with this.
Solutions
Web developers should refrain from this type of automatic redirection. Adding a submit button to such forms enables the visitor to choose when he wants to be redirected. Keyboard users will also benefit from the lack of immediate automatic redirection. They can take their time going through the menu like everyone else and confirm their choice by using the submit button.
Avoid automatic redirection during interaction with forms.
Guideline R-pd.13.4
Lists of links instead of navigation forms
Of course navigation forms can also be left out altogether. A list of text links is a highly accessible and user friendly alternative. Lists are easy to take in and the visitor can follow a link from a list with one mouse click.
