Jesse Hausler, Principal Accessibility Specialist
Cordelia McGee-Tubb, Lead Accessibility Specialist
Major Patterns for
Accessible Drag and Drop

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Accessibility as Equality
A Note on Workarounds

Providing an accessible alternative to drag and drop
Is it acceptable if the accessible alternative is...
● A field inside a modal that is launched from a
menu, located in the column header?
● A field inside a modal that is launched from a
general settings menu for the entire table?
● On a separate table settings page?
Example: Resizing a table column’s width

Providing an accessible alternative to drag and drop
● Don’t take user further away from the action
● Don’t make them work harder for the same result
● The draggable component itself can be accessible
Ultimately, your users will tell you.
Ask and listen to them.
Example: Resizing a table column’s width

Know Your Users

Verbosity
Interaction Details
Language
Granularity
Methods for Describing Drag and Drop to Users

Native HTML ARIA Patterns Live Region Text
Programatically Describing Interactions

Four Major Patterns for Drag & Drop
Resize an object in 1-Dimension
Move an item from one list to another
Sort a list
Interact with objects on a canvas

Resize an Object in 1-Dimension
User’s interactions
● Increase
● Decrease
Engineer’s tasks
● Set minimum
● Set maximum
● Set default
● Set step

Resize an Object in 1-Dimension

Resize an Object in 1-Dimension
<th scope="col">
<span>Name</span>
<input type="range" value="100"
step="10" min="60" max="600"
aria-label="Width of Name Column"
class="visually-hidden"
onChange="handleWidthChange(event)"
/>
<span class="resizable-handle">
// mouse drag and drop work goes here
</span>
</th>
HTML

Resize an Object in 1-Dimension
handleWidthChange(event) {
const rangeSlider = event.target;
const newWidth = rangeSlider.value + "px";
const columnHeader = rangeSlider.closest("th");
columnHeader.setStyle(newWidth);
}
JavaScript

Resize an Object in 1-Dimension
Keyboard Interaction Model
● Tab to the slider
● Left arrow to decrease size
● Right arrow to increase size
Screen Reader Audio
Determined by AT + browser

Resize an Object in 1-Dimension

Move an object from one list to another
Moving items between list
● Order doesn’t matter
● Other items in the list don’t matter
● Selecting where to send a given item
What is a common pattern for choosing
one item from a list of many?

Move an object from one list to another
Menu
an existing ARIA design pattern

Move an object from one list to another
Keyboard Interaction Model
● Tab to the menu trigger
● Enter, space, or arrows to open
● Arrow to desired menu item
● Enter to select and close
ARIA Menu
Describes the interaction model

Move an object from one list to another
After Move
● Focus remains on the menu
trigger, but inside the new list
● Identifies the final state

Move an object from one list to another

Sort a List
Rank your favorite desserts!
Unlike moving items between
lists, order does matter.

Sort a List
ARIA Listbox
Describes the navigation model
Hidden Live Region
Provides status updates and
in-context operation details

Sort a List
Basic ARIA Listbox
● Tab into listbox
● Up and Down arrow to change selection
Custom Interactions
● Spacebar to Grab and Drop
● Up and Down arrow to move an item
● ESC cancel drag operation
Keyboard Interaction Model

Sort a List
<ol role="listbox" aria-label="Desserts" aria-describedby="instructions">
<li role="option" draggable="true" tabindex="0" aria-selected="true">
Ice Cream
</li>
<li role="option" draggable="true" tabindex="-1">
Pie
</li>
<li role="option" draggable="true" tabindex="-1">
Cake
</li>
...
</ol>
Listbox Markup
<span id="instructions">Press space bar to grab the selected item.</span>

Sort a List
.visually-hidden {
position: absolute;
margin: -1px;
border: 0;
padding: 0;
width: 1px;
height: 1px;
overflow: hidden;
clip: rect(0 0 0 0);
}
updateLiveText(announcement) {
liveRegion.innerHTML = announcement;
}
Hidden Live Region
<span aria-live="assertive" class="visually-hidden"></span>

Sort a List
Step 1: Tab into the Listbox
Keyboard Interaction Model

Sort a List
Step 2: Down arrow to Cake
Keyboard Interaction Model

Sort a List
Step 3: Press spacebar to grab Cake
Keyboard Interaction Model

Sort a List
Step 4: Move Cake down one item in list
Keyboard Interaction Model

Sort a List
Step 5: Drop Cake in position 4
Keyboard Interaction Model

Sort a List
Alternative Path: Press Esc, Cancel move
Keyboard Interaction Model

Sort a List

Interacting with an Object on a Canvas
Behold, a canvas
● 2 dimensions
● Fixed number of “cells"
Choose a reference cell
● Top left cell as [1,1]

Interacting with an Object on a Canvas
Behold, an object on a canvas
● 2 dimensions
● 6 cells wide, 6 cells tall
Choose a reference cell for moving object
● Top, left cell at [2,2]
● Move object by the top-left cell
Choose a reference cell for resizing object
● Bottom, right cell at [7,7]
● Drag the object by the bottom-right cell

Interacting with an Object on a Canvas
Describing the interaction
● Hidden, ARIA Live Region
Keyboard Interaction Model
● Separate triggers for move & resize
● Spacebar to grab
● Arrows to move from reference cell
● Spacebar to drop
● Escape to cancel

Interacting with an Object on a Canvas
Step 1: Tab to Move “handle"

Interacting with an Object on a Canvas
Step 2: Spacebar to grab Object A

Interacting with an Object on a Canvas
Step 3: Press right arrow key

Interacting with an Object on a Canvas
Step 4: Press spacebar

Interacting with an Object on a Canvas

Interacting with Objects on a Canvas
What if...
● The canvas or objects aren’t rectangular?
● Objects can’t overlap?
● Objects can only partially overlap?

Interacting with Objects on a Canvas
What if...
● The canvas or objects aren’t rectangular?
● Objects can’t overlap?
● Objects can only partially overlap?
How do you describe...
● Rules?
● Collisions?
● When multiple objects are changed?

How would you
model and describe
interactions?

Move “Mean Mr. Mustard” from
position 15 to position 11
vs.
Move “Mean Mr. Mustard” directly
before “Polythene Pam”
Playlist Curation
Spotify Playlist

Different drag-and-drop
models apply depending on
how rigid the templates are...
● Canvas
● Series of reorderable lists
WYSIWYG Page Editors
Lightning App Builder

● Positioning outfielders for a
left-handed batter
● Place players relative to...
○ traditional positions
○ bases
○ other field players
Baseball Field Management
Out of the Park Baseball 16

Relative positioning
● Place the couch below the window
● Center the bed on the back wall
● Move the lamp closer to the ottoman
● Rotate the chair away from the kitchen
3D Home Modelling
The Sims 4

Relative positioning
● Place the couch below the window
● Center the bed on the back wall
● Move the lamp closer to the ottoman
● Rotate the chair away from the kitchen
Exact dimensions
● Can this shelf fit by the door?
● This picture frame isn’t straight
● Model different granularities of movement
3D Home Modelling
Room Sketcher

How do you work within three
dimensions?
A room is just a series of canvases:
● Walls
● Floor
● Ceiling
Elements snap to one of these surfaces.
3D Home Modelling

3D Modelling
What patterns would you
use to describe states and
interactions in even more
dynamic 3D contexts?
Autodesk Maya

3D Modelling
What patterns would you
use to describe states and
interactions in even more
dynamic 3D contexts?
Consider reference points
and reference objects
Autodesk Maya

More Resources
bit.ly/a11ydnd
bit.ly/a11ydnd-code