Probing

Probing is a browsing behavior where a user follows a link to see where it leads and then immediately returns to the previous page. It is commonly observed among blind and screen reader users as a coping strategy when the link text or surrounding context does not provide enough information to determine a link's destination. Research has shown that blind users probe significantly more than sighted users, reflecting the difficulty of assessing link relevance without visual context. Probing highlights the importance of descriptive link text and clear navigation structure in accessible web design.