The specifications for dialogs and modals recommend placing focus on the first focusable item in the dialog. The vast majority of the time this is a close button. this means that a screen reader user will hear something similar to “Dialog, Shopping Cart, Close, button.”
As a user this is confusing. I just added something to my cart, or I just opened it to checkout. And now your site is telling me that while I’m in the cart I should close it.
I strongly recommend that this is not the best practice we should be following. We should be providing the user with information they need in a way that encourages them to explore. To accomplish this, I recommend placing the focus on the heading of the dialog. We do this by providing a proper ID and tabindex="-1". Now when the user opens the cart dialog they would hear something like “Dialog, Shopping Cart.” This tells me my focus has shifted due to my actions, where the focus went by identifying, and I’m not hit with the confusing close button.
This is my opinion, it differs from many, but it fills the gap between accessibility and user experience to create a better flow for everyone. But I’m not alone in this opinion.
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