Keep dropdown menus open while people choose a link

What to change

Ask the supplier to make moving from a menu heading into its links forgiving, so visitors do not need precise mouse or trackpad movements.

A worked example

Illustrative example

A visitor moves from Services to the last item in a wide dropdown without losing the menu halfway across the screen.

Healthcare website design showing connected desktop and mobile service and enquiry layouts. — Make the service and next step clear on every screen.

Healthcare website accessibility illustrated by a focus outline, keyboard key, contrast samples and form. — Review keyboard access, contrast and understandable form fields.

Why this matters to your practice

A disappearing dropdown turns an ordinary navigation choice into a dexterity test. Watch someone use it naturally with a trackpad rather than demonstrating a carefully rehearsed path. Slow or diagonal movement should not make a service link vanish just before it is selected. Ask your supplier to adjust the interaction and then show how the menu closes when no longer wanted. Keeping it open indefinitely can create a different obstruction, so review the complete movement into and away from the choices.

How to check the result

Accept when ordinary, imprecise pointer movement reaches all options and the menu can still be deliberately dismissed.

A mistake to avoid

Adding a long closing delay can help one path but leave menus covering unrelated content after the visitor has moved away.

Turn reading into a next step

Your action checklist

Work through these checks with your team or supplier. Tick the ones you have resolved and leave unknowns open.

Checks to discussOpen a dropdown and move slowly toward each item, including diagonal movement to the farthest option. Record any point where the menu disappears.Repeat with a trackpad and at enlarged zoom. Check whether the submenu overlaps or shifts in a way that creates a new gap.Ask the supplier to demonstrate keyboard opening and closing alongside the pointer fix. Improving hover behaviour must not remove a usable non-pointer route.

Your answers and notes

Record what you know, what is still missing and the answer you need from your team or supplier.

What happens next, and who will do it?

Use project decisions only, without personal, patient or confidential details. Entries stay in this page and are not submitted to Kay & Co. Copy or download before leaving; this page does not save your notes.

Related guides

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