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Discuss ways to make Minecraft easier to use and enjoy for everyone, including players with different needs, abilities, devices, or ways of playing.

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Keyboard Navigation and Narration in Gameplay Screens (Java)

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Authors Note: This article is to be moved to Accessibility 3/11 right before Snapshot release

We’d love your feedback on keyboard navigation and narration in gameplay screens!

In 26.4 Snapshot 7, we’ve added keyboard navigation and narration to gameplay screens, such as the Inventory, Crafting Table, and Furnace. This is a first step toward making these screens more accessible.

You can now move around gameplay screens and pick up, place, and move items using the keyboard. Tab moves between groups of slots, while the arrow keys move between slots within a group.The Narrator reads out slot contents, item information, and slot positions. For slots arranged in a grid, it describes their positions by column and row.

Note: The Creative Inventory and Recipe Book are not yet supported by these changes.

Some things we’d love your feedback onKeyboard navigation
  • How easy is it to use gameplay screens with the keyboard? Is anything difficult or missing?
  • How does using Tab to move between groups and the arrow keys to move between slots feel?
  • Do the groupings and navigation order make sense?

Narration
  • Does the Narrator give you enough information to understand where you are and what you can do?
  • Does hearing column and row positions help you find your way around grids?
  • Is anything missing, unclear, or unnecessarily repetitive?

These questions are just a starting point, so we’d love to hear about anything else you notice in the comments!
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    Registered User commented
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    The narrator should use numbers and letters to differentiate between rows and columns. Perhaps add an accessibility resource pack with the numbers and letters (and other accessibility needs) natively.

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    Registered User commented
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    There are some blocks that don't have enough information for those who can't see to be narrated in the inventory. For example, light blocks change their sprite based on what level they're at, but there is no change in the item name or tooltip. Additionally, bundles currently don't speak their progress, so it is impossible for a fully blind player to use them successfully with keyboard navigation. Also, I think that starting the keyboard cursor in the armor group by default in the inventory isn't that optimal because it's rarely the correct place you want to be. I think starting in the main inventory or hop bar would be a lot more beneficial for user experience.