Automated checks find missing labels and low contrast. They do not tell you whether a person without a mouse can reach the menu. Fifteen minutes with the keyboard do.
- Press Tab once: the first stop should be a link that skips to the content.
- Keep pressing Tab: you should always see where the focus is.
- Open the menu with Enter, close it with Escape, and land back on the menu button.
- Reach every link and button in the order you read the page.
- Open the site on a phone and try the same with a connected keyboard.
Try it on this demo. The bar at the top, the skip link, the menus and every pattern page are built to pass this test.