Test with a Keyboard
Some users prefer using a physical keyboard for navigating because of, for example, limitations on mobility or tremors in their hands. Some users might also be using different devices that emulate the physical keyboard. If an app doesn't accommodate keyboard navigation, it might be partly or entirely unusable for these users.
Setup
Emulator
You can use your computer's keyboard with a virtual device on Android Studio. The option is usually automatically turned on for virtual devices, but if it's not, here's how to turn it on:
- Open Device manager
- Find the device from the list and open its settings by pressing the menu icon (three dots) and selecting "Edit".
- Open Advanced Settings from "Show advanced settings" and scroll down to the last item.
- Select the "Enable keyboard input" and press Finish.
Physical Device
You can connect a physical keyboard to your phone via Bluetooth or USB cable. Appt.org provides a guide to connect your keyboard.
Testing
There are three types of keys you need for testing:
- Tab
- Navigate to the next interactive element
- Space
- Select / Interact with the element
- Arrow keys
- Navigate inside lists
The goal is to go through the app or feature and try to accomplish all the same tasks you can achieve with touch input.
Some questions to consider:
- Is the navigation order logical? Does focus move logically from one interactive (i.e, focusable) element to another?
- Does the focus move only to interactive elements?