GUIs should be fully keyboard-driven (ckardaris.com)

Article summary

The article argues that GUIs should be fully keyboard-driven, just like terminal user interfaces (TUIs). The author believes that there is no technical reason why GUIs cannot be fully navigable with a keyboard and that it is a matter of will on the part of the application developer. Many GUI framework guidelines encourage developers to provide support for keyboard-driven navigation. The article concludes that enabling full keyboard navigation is important for a good user experience and accessibility.

Main themes

• GUIs vs TUIs
• keyboard navigation
• accessibility
• UI design
• productivity
• standardization
• electron-based apps
• macOS keyboard support

What commenters say

• Some commenters disagree with the idea that GUIs should be preferred over TUIs, citing the limitations of web interfaces.
• Others argue that keyboard accessibility is important for accessibility and productivity.
• A few commenters mention that some UI frameworks and operating systems have poor support for keyboard navigation.
• There is a disagreement about whether macOS has good keyboard navigation, with some commenters saying it has intentional holes in support.
• Some commenters think that standardizing keyboard shortcuts across applications would be beneficial.
• Others suggest that GUIs should provide obvious hints on screen for how to navigate via keyboard.
• A few commenters mention that electron-based apps often have poor keyboard accessibility.
• There is a discussion about the importance of accessibility in UI design, with some commenters arguing that it is often overlooked.