Make back-to-top controls usable without interrupting reading

What to change

Ask for a clearly labelled control that appears when useful, avoids covering content and provides a coherent destination after activation.

A worked example

Illustrative example

A visitor uses Back to top from the end of a long service guide, reaches the page's starting area and can continue into navigation.

How to check the result

Accept when the action has a clear destination, leaves focus usable and does not hide reading content or other controls.

A mistake to avoid

A smooth scroll animation can look polished while leaving keyboard focus on a control that is now far outside the viewport.

Your action checklist

Use these checks to prepare a discussion with your team or supplier. Tick a check when you have recorded the decision or evidence, rather than when a feature has simply been promised.

Decisions to recordScroll through a long page and inspect where the control appears on narrow and enlarged layouts. Check nearby links remain unobstructed.Activate it using a keyboard and observe focus as well as scrolling. Ask the supplier to demonstrate the next useful keyboard action after arrival.Repeat with reduced motion enabled. The control should remain understandable without requiring a long animated scroll to complete.

Evidence, open questions and decisionsNext action and responsible role

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