Learners have always been able to select screen objects on published Captivate lessons by either clicking the mouse or using the [tab] key on the keyboard. However, your ability to control which screen objects came into focus when the learner pressed the [tab] key was non-existent... until now.
What about controlling how a screen reader reads the text to a visually impaired learner? Perhaps you'd like the text on a specific button to be read before another?
With the recent introduction of Adobe Captivate 7, you can now control the order of screen objects that come into focus when the learner presses the [tab] key, and when the text on those objects is read aloud by a screen reader.
To begin, add objects to a slide. In the image below, I've added three simple buttons to a Captivate slide.
Upon previewing the project and pressing the [tab] key on my keyboard, the navigation worked as expected. I moved from Button 1, to Button 2 and then to Button 3.
However, when my learners pressed the [tab] key, I wanted Button 2 to be selected first, then Button 3 and finally Button 1. Plus I wanted the text on those selected buttons to be read aloud by a screen reader in that specific order.
First, I made sure that none of the slide objects were selected. Then, on the Properties panel, I clicked the Tab Order button.
Within the Tab Order dialog box, I selected the button I wanted to be accessible first, and then I clicked the Move Selected Row Up arrow to move it into the first position.
In the image below, you can see that I've set it up so that Button 2 will be the first accessible button, followed by Button 3.
After clicking the OK button, testing the Tab Order was a simple matter of previewing the project and pressing the [tab] key on my keyboard.
Changing the Tab Order is simple. And keep in mind that the Tab Order dialog box determines the order that a screen reader will read the accessibility text aloud. This is a huge deal for anyone required to deliver eLearning content that meets (or exceeds) compliance standards.
If you'd like to see a demonstration of the Tab Order feature, check out the demonstration I created on IconLogic's YouTube channel.