Keyboard Navigation for Accessibility
We realize that not everyone has the same abilities and capabilities, so accessibility is an integral component of the SeekBeak platform.
We have worked tirelessly to ensure our platform performs well across desktop, tablet, and mobile devices. We were one of the first platforms to ensure compatibility with WebXR, paving the way for accessibility through VR headsets.
We have a dynamically generated text viewer for your content that allows your virtual tours to be easily read and understood by screen readers for people with visual disabilities. We take ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) compliance seriously, and realized that we can do more.
In particular, the reliance on a mouse was limiting the SB viewing experience for some viewers. SeekBeak desktop viewers can now navigate your tours through a series of keyboard controls, allowing everyone to have the full SB experience regardless of their ability to use a mouse.
For those of you in the public or educational sectors, this is a very important consideration as accessibility issues are critically important considerations for all web-based content.
Here's how you can take it for a test drive:
Make sure the focus is on an SeekBeak content by either opening it in full-screen mode, clicking somewhere in the Snap, or if you've embedded it, you can also press the tab button until the focus is on the embedded tour on your site.
Use the Up / Down / Left / Right arrow keys to tilt and pan each scene, and use the SHIFT + arrow keys to fine-tune your view.
Position the mouse cursor somewhere on the tour and simply use the arrow keys to position the hotspot under the mouse cursor, then click.
For a completely mouse-less experience, there are a few options:
Hotspot Cycling
If you're in a 360º image, SeekBeak allows users to cycle through your Hotspots by pressing the "<" and ">" keys, aka the period and comma keys.
Once you've cycled to the Hotspot you want to select, simply press the space bar to activate that Hotspot. Press the space bar again to deactivate the Hotspot.
Cycling Through Hotspots with Keypresses
Using the < and > keys, you can cycle through all the hotspots in your 360 image. Spacebar activates them.
Mouse Keys
Arrow controls combined with Microsoft and Apple's Mouse Keys capabilities make it incredibly easy to navigate your tours with no mouse required.
Use Windows or Apple's Mouse Keys features to move the mouse cursor and click on your desired Hotspots entirely with your keypad. More information about Windows and Apple Mouse Keys can be found here:
But wait, there's more! SeekBeak also allows navigation through certain Hotspot content by using the arrow keys. For example, the Image Hotspot is easily navigated through using the left and right arrow keys.
Use Arrow Key to Navigate Through Slideshows
Here we cycle to the Hotspot with the < and > keys, then press space bar to trigger the Hotspot, then use the arrow keys to cycle through the slides. No mouse needed!
