PRACTICE 7 OF 8 · Complex widgets and data
Carousel
Test slide controls, pause behavior, current slide state, and keyboard operation.
Verify that carousel content can be paused, navigated, and understood without visual-only motion.
PREPARE
Set up your test
- Turn on a screen reader you know how to operate.
- Navigate by controls or use Tab where the task asks you to.
- Listen for purpose and state, not one exact sequence of spoken words.
WORKING EXAMPLE
Establish the expected behavior
Navigate the carousel controls. Confirm there is a pause button and clear previous/next controls.
Expected behavior: movement can be paused and controls clearly identify what they do.
INTENTIONAL DEFECT
Find the barrier
The example below deliberately contains one accessibility defect. Skip the defective example.
Navigate the carousel. Determine whether you can pause it and identify slide controls.
Hint
Icon-only controls and auto-moving content need careful names and pause behavior.
End of intentional defect.
DIAGNOSE
Choose the primary cause
EXPLANATION
Understand and repair it
Reveal explanation
What happened
The defective carousel has unnamed icon controls and no pause control. Users may not understand or control moving content.
Repair
Provide pause/stop controls for auto-rotating content, name previous and next buttons, and expose slide position and grouping.
<button>Pause carousel</button>
<button>Previous slide</button>
<button>Next slide</button>Retest
- Confirm auto-rotation can be paused with the keyboard.
- Confirm previous and next controls have useful names.
- Confirm the current slide and position are available.
Report it
Example: The featured lessons carousel has unnamed arrow buttons and no pause control for moving content.
Standards and support
This exercise describes behavior rather than promising identical speech across screen reader and browser combinations.
- WAI-ARIA APG: Carousel Pattern
- WCAG 2.2: Understanding Pause, Stop, Hide
- WCAG 2.2: Understanding Keyboard
Editorially reviewed 20 July 2026.