Measure Repeated Keyboard Navigation Burden — Free
A short keyboard detour becomes substantial when repeated. Quantify a measured tab route without pretending a stopwatch can determine whether a site meets an accessibility standard.
The proof surface
Heading audits inspect document structure. This records repeated keyboard traversal effort during specific tasks and supports a concrete before-and-after remediation discussion.
Why the flat version breaks
Counting only one visit
Repeated routes are the source of the cumulative burden.
Using speed as a user ranking
Timing describes one walkthrough, not a person’s ability.
Ignoring focus traps
A low total cannot excuse an unreachable control.
How to work the keystroke counterfoil
Start from the same focus location each time and count presses to the named control. Record reverse-tab routes separately if they are part of the real workflow.
Use a representative task walkthrough rather than guessed daily traffic. The sample search route repeats eight times, so seventeen presses become 136 actions.
Multiply presses by visits and the observed seconds per press. The default 0.6 seconds is illustrative, not a claim about a disabled person’s speed.
Compare the same tasks after adding a sensible skip route or focus strategy. Keep errors, trapped focus and confusing announcements in separate qualitative notes.
What the keystroke counterfoil replaces
| Question | Before | Visible working |
|---|---|---|
| Counting only one visit | Repeated routes are the source of the cumulative burden. | Count repetitions in a session |
| Using speed as a user ranking | Timing describes one walkthrough, not a person’s ability. | Use a measured press interval |
| Ignoring focus traps | A low total cannot excuse an unreachable control. | Retest after changing navigation |
A local arithmetic aid replaces hand calculation, not expert review. No paid AI service is needed.
Run it on the samples, right here
FIRST-LOAD
Input is processed locally and a draft is saved automatically in this browser profile when storage is available. Reset to sample clears that draft; Pro history has its own clear button. A state link encodes your inputs in its URL: share only non-sensitive rows. Browser history, clipboard and anyone receiving the link may retain it. Optional AI use below leaves this device; it is not required.
This is a task-effort estimate, not a WCAG pass/fail test. Include keyboard and assistive-technology users in evaluation.
Data note: Everything runs in this browser tab on the keystroke counterfoil: your task | tab presses per visit | visits per session stays on this device, nothing is uploaded, and the reading is rebuilt only when you press run.
Go deeper: the companion app files the same reading as a till receipt with a tear-off foot
The article demo above runs without limits. The companion app keeps a local history, exports the rows as CSV, prints the keystroke counterfoil reading, and holds your drafts on this device — one free run, then $ 4 one-time for the layer that keeps filing.
The keystroke counterfoil reading is complete for free. The optional $4 layer adds print, row CSV and the last five local reading summaries; it does not add hidden answers. Checkout is not configured yet; the article demo remains unlimited.
Open the measure repeated keyboard navigation burden companionBoundary
This is a task-effort estimate, not a WCAG pass/fail test. Include keyboard and assistive-technology users in evaluation.
What this is built on
- Method: Multiply presses by visits and the observed seconds per press. The default 0.6 seconds is illustrative, not a claim about a disabled person’s speed.
- All sample records are invented examples. The app does not fetch measurements, policies, files or personal records.
- Google’s official pricing page, fetched 2026-09-27, lists free-tier access including AI Studio. Optional formatting only; limits and availability can change. Free-tier content may be used to improve products. Never paste private records there.
Before: Repeated routes are the source of the cumulative burden. After: the keystroke counterfoil shows the working beside each named row so the reader can change the assumption and inspect the consequence.
Optional AI formatting, not calculation
For this keystroke counterfoil, use the free AI Studio interface only if available to you, with no paid API key. Manual entry completes the same workflow for free. Supply only fictional or non-sensitive notes. Review its output against the source; never paste unresolved questions into the numeric rows.
Format my non-sensitive notes for a keystroke counterfoil. Return plain rows only: task | tab presses per visit | visits per session. Preserve supplied quantities exactly. Do not guess missing values; list questions separately. Do not calculate or add advice. I will check every row before pasting into the local tool.
Accepted schema: task | tab presses per visit | visits per session. No AI response is executed as code.