Keyboardonly

Keyboardonly refers to user interfaces and software design in which all user interactions can be performed using a keyboard alone, without requiring a pointing device such as a mouse. The term is often used in accessibility and human-computer interaction contexts to describe keyboard-driven or keyboard-navigable interfaces. A keyboard-only UI supports navigation by focusing elements via the Tab key, moving with arrow keys, activating controls with Enter or Space, and using keyboard shortcuts or mnemonic keys for common actions.

Key design practices include ensuring a logical focus order, visible focus indicators, skip links, and proper labeling of controls. Interactive widgets such as forms, menus, dialogs, and complex components like modal windows should maintain focus, trap focus within dialogs when active, and return focus to the originating element when closed. Reusable components often rely on WAI-ARIA roles and states to convey state to assistive technologies.

Developers balance keyboard accessibility with mouse-based affordances; the goal is to make interfaces fully operable via keyboard for users who cannot or prefer not to use a pointing device. In web development, standards and guidelines such as the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines WCAG 2.x and ARIA provide criteria and technologies to support keyboard operability and accessible rich internet applications.

Keyboard-only design is also valued by power users for speed and by contexts requiring high-precision input. Challenges include ensuring dynamic updates, custom widgets, and complex layouts remain navigable without a mouse, and testing across browsers and assistive technologies.

See also: accessibility, keyboard shortcut, mouse-free interface, WCAG, ARIA, universal design.