Navigating the Zoho Desk interface using a screen reader
A screen reader is an assistive technology that is useful for people with visual impairments and reading difficulties. It vocalizes the information on the screen, guiding users linearly through the contents and enabling them to easily and efficiently navigate the web.
Zoho Desk's sleek and intuitive design makes it easy to use and navigate. To extend Desk's usability to a wider audience, we provide the option to navigate the app with a screen reader.
People who use screen readers often prefer the keyboard over the mouse to navigate through the interface, as they might find it challenging to scan the screen to locate the cursor. Keyboard accessibility also benefits users who have limited dexterity with a mouse, and those who simply prefer the efficiency of a keyboard.
Note: Zoho Desk does not offer a native screen reader, but it can be used with third-party screen readers. We recommend using standard screen readers, like Mac's VoiceOver, Widows' Narrator, and Ubuntu's Orca to safeguard your data. Using Tab navigation
Screen reader users generally navigate from one focusable element to another using the Tab key on their keyboards. To navigate a list of links, they'll use the Up and Down arrow keys on their keyboards.
The table below provides the keyboard shortcuts for navigating Zoho Desk using screen readers on different devices: Mac, Windows, and Ubuntu.
Action | Mac | Windows | Ubuntu |
Turn screen reader on/off | command + F5 | Ctrl + Window + Enter | Super + Alt + S |
Navigation: Move from one focusable element to the next. | Tab | Tab | Tab |
Reverse navigation: Return to the previous focusable element | Shift + Tab | Shift + Tab | Shift + Tab |
Arrow Navigation: Navigate from one list item to the next. | Navigate with the Up / Down keys | Navigate with the Alt + Up / Alt + Down keys | Navigate with the Up / Down keys |
Navigating with the help of landmarks
Landmarks are page regions in Zoho Desk. They are meant to simplify and speed up the navigation process for keyboard users. Essential pages, like the Ticket List View page, the Detail view, and the Ticket Add form are divided into distinct landmarks. Users can navigate to a landmark directly from the Landmark Navigation menu. This saves a lot of time and effort. Let’s examine the Ticket List View page, which has four landmarks. To read tickets in the main region, a user can either tab through all the modules and buttons on the top bar or open the Landmarks menu and choose the main region, which will take them directly to the ticket list.
Below are the landmarks found on the Ticket List View, Detail View, and Create page:
Ticket List View page
Main: Contains the ticket list.
The top bar is divided into the banner and the navigation section.
Banner: Houses the department switcher, Add Records, Search, Setup, Notifications, Gamescope, My Information, and all Zoho apps buttons.
Navigation: Houses all the modules.
Navigation (side bar): Contains the Headquarters, Team Feeds, Agent, Team Queues, and Tags sections.
Complementary (bottom band, found below the main region): Contains the Chat and Feedback widgets, Keyboard Shortcuts menu, Appearance Quick Switch option, Pending Activities list, Recent Items list, and integrated search.
Ticket Creation form
The top bar is divided into the banner and the navigation section.
Banner: Houses the department switcher, Add Records, Search, Setup, Notifications, Gamescope, My Information, and all Zoho apps buttons.
Navigation: Houses all the modules.
Complementary (on the right): Displays details that can help with form submission like contact information and installed marketplace extensions.
Complementary (below the main region): Contains the Chat and Feedback widgets, Keyboard Shortcuts menu, Appearance Quick Switch option, Pending Activities list, Recent Items list, and integrated search.
Ticket Detail View
The top bar is divided into the banner and the navigation section.
Banner: Houses the department switcher, Add Records, Search, Setup, Notifications, Gamescope, My Information, and all Zoho apps buttons.
Navigation: Houses all the modules.
Main : Contains the Subject, Actions, Conversations, and other ticket-related subtabs.
Ticket Properties Main: Displays ticket properties.
Desk Tabs and Extension Tabs Main: The bar on the ticket middle pane that contains the buttons for Ticket Properties, Reply Assistant, Timeline, SLAs, Suggested Articles, and more.
Ticket Detail View Left Panel, Ticket List Main: Displays a list of tickets based on your preference. You can switch between tickets from here.
The table below shows the buttons that will open the Landmark Navigation menu on different operating systems.
Action | Mac | Windows | Ubuntu |
Open Landmarks menu | Control + Option + U | D | User can set according to their preference. |
The following image shows what the Landmarks menu looks like on a Mac.
Notes:
- If you are using Mac's VoiceOver on Firefox, you must enable keyboard navigation from: System Settings -> Keyboard -> Keyboard Navigation.
- If you're using Mac's VoiceOver on Safari, enable Press Tab to Highlight Each Item on a Webpage for Best Results. To enable, go to Safari Preferences -> Advanced -> Accessibility. Check Press Tab to Highlight Each Item on a Webpage for Best Results.
- If you've logged into Zoho Desk using Chrome on your Windows device, press the Caps Lock + Space bar keys before you start typing in an editor. This will disable chrome's scan mode, which prevents you from typing in editors.
- If you're typing in an editor, pressing the Tab key will add multiple spaces to your text rather than moving your screen reader to the next focusable element. Here, you must use the Option + Up/Down arrows on Mac and Alt + Up/Down arrows on Windows to move away from the editor.
- Screen reader and Tab navigation are not supported by Firefox on Ubuntu devices. Ubuntu users can access these functionalities on Chrome.
Focus Indicator for better visualisation of focused elements
Focus Indicator helps sighted keyboard users determine which element the screen reader is focused on at any given time, typically outlining the element. It is the equivalent of a cursor for keyboard users.
Note: Focus Indication is not supported by Ubuntu devices.
Interacting with dropdown menus using focus navigation
A dropdown menu contains a list of mutually exclusive items. It can be triggered by interacting with a button.
- Once you're inside a dropdown, you can navigate the list items using the Up and Down arrow keys.
- Press Enter to select a list item. To close a dropdown, press Esc.
- After you open a dropdown menu, view the options, and close it, focus automatically shifts to the button that opened the dropdown. Pressing the Enter key will re-open the dropdown.
The above information coupled with Keyboard Shortcuts can help you explore and operate Zoho Desk efficiently with just your keyboard.
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