Tabs

Switch between different views

What it solves

Tabs organize content into multiple panels that share the same space, allowing users to switch between views without leaving the page. Only one tab panel is visible at a time, while the tab list provides persistent indicators of all available sections. Tabs reduce information overload by letting users focus on one content section at a time while keeping the full set of options visible and reachable with a single click or keyboard press.

When to use

Use Tabs to organize related content into parallel sections at the same hierarchy level where users benefit from switching between views. Common scenarios include:

• Product pages with Description, Specifications, and Reviews sections
• Settings pages with General, Security, Notifications, and Billing tabs
• Dashboard widgets with different data views (Chart, Table, Summary)
• Code editors showing different files or language previews (HTML, CSS, JS)
• User profiles with Activity, Projects, and Settings sections

When to avoid

• Content that users need to see simultaneously for comparison (use side-by-side layout)
• Sequential steps that must be completed in order (use a wizard or stepper)
• Navigation between entirely different pages (use a navigation menu)
• When there are only 2 options (consider a toggle or segmented control instead)
• When there are more than 7-8 tabs (consider a sidebar or vertical navigation)

Implementation workflow

1. Confirm the pattern matches the problem and constraints before copying the example.
2. Start from the anatomy and examples in references/pattern.md, then choose the smallest viable variation.
3. Apply accessibility, performance, and interaction guardrails before layering visual polish.
4. Use the testing guidance to verify behavior across keyboard, screen reader, responsive, and failure scenarios.

Accessibility guardrails

Do's ✅

• Use role="tablist" on the tab container, role="tab" on each tab, and role="tabpanel" on each panel
• Set aria-selected="true" on the active tab and aria-selected="false" on inactive tabs
• Connect tabs to panels with aria-controls (on tab) and aria-labelledby (on panel)
• Manage focus with tabindex: active tab gets 0, inactive tabs get -1
• Support Arrow Left/Right to move between tabs, Home/End to jump to first/last
• Add tabindex="0" to the active panel so users can Tab into the content Don'ts ❌
• Don't use Tab key to navigate between tabs — Arrow keys are the correct pattern per WAI-ARIA
• Don't use links (<a>) for tabs unless they navigate to a different URL

Performance guardrails

Target Metrics

• Tab switch: < 50ms from click to visible panel
• Initial render: < 100ms for the full tab interface
• Keyboard response: < 16ms focus change on Arrow key press
• Panel content: Lazy load heavy content only when the tab is first activated
• Bundle size: < 3KB for tab component logic with styles

Optimization Strategies

Keep All Panels in DOM (Hidden)

<!-- Better than removing from DOM — preserves state -->
<div role="tabpanel" hidden>...</div>

Common mistakes

Using Tab Key to Navigate Between Tabs

The Problem: Making each tab focusable with tabindex="0" forces keyboard users to Tab through every tab before reaching the content.

How to Fix It: Use tabindex="-1" on inactive tabs and tabindex="0" only on the active tab. Navigate between tabs with Arrow Left/Right keys.

Missing ARIA Roles

The Problem: Using <div> or <button> without role="tab", role="tablist", or role="tabpanel" makes the tab interface invisible to screen readers.

How to Fix It: Apply the full ARIA tab pattern: role="tablist" on the container, role="tab" on each trigger, role="tabpanel" on each content area, with aria-controls and aria-labelledby connections.

Tabs That Navigate to Different URLs

The Problem: Using tabs for page-level navigation causes full page reloads, breaking the instant-switch expectation of tab interfaces.

How to Fix It: Use a navigation menu for page-level navigation. Tabs should switch in-page content without a page load. If URL sync is needed, use hash fragments.

Related patterns

• https://uxpatterns.dev/patterns/advanced/wizard
• https://uxpatterns.dev/patterns/content-management/accordion
• https://uxpatterns.dev/patterns/navigation/navigation-menu
• https://uxpatterns.dev/patterns/navigation/sidebar

---

For full implementation detail, examples, and testing notes, see references/pattern.md.

Pattern page: https://uxpatterns.dev/patterns/navigation/tabs