A focus indicator is a visual display that shows which UI element currently has keyboard focus. It is typically rendered as an outline (border) or highlight (background color change).

WCAG 2.2 strengthened requirements for minimum contrast ratio and minimum size of focus indicators. Completely removing focus indicators with outline: none severely impairs accessibility for keyboard users. Accessibility CSS guides cover implementation techniques.

The CSS :focus-visible pseudo-class allows showing focus indicators only during keyboard navigation while hiding them on mouse clicks.

In relation to character counting, focus indicators are especially important for text input fields, clearly showing users which field they are typing in. UI design practical guides provide additional insights.