Arrow key grid navigation (spatial navigation) #1345
Description
Prerequisites
- I have read the Contributing Guidelines.
- I have not leaked any internal/restricted information like screenshots, videos, code snippets, links etc.
Feature request
Provide spatial keyboard navigation using arrow keys for grid-based components.
Instead of tabbing through all focusable items in a grid (which can easily be 20+ elements), arrow keys should allow users to navigate spatially and predictably, based on the visual layout.
The goal is to introduce a generic, reusable solution, ideally implemented via a directive-based approach, so it can be shared across multiple components (e.g. Launchpad, Datepicker, etc.).
Use case
Grid-based UI components (such as the Launchpad) currently require users to tab through every item sequentially, which is slow and unintuitive for larger grids.
Arrow key navigation would allow users to:
- Move left/right within the same row
- Move up/down between rows
- Navigate large grids more efficiently and naturally
- Improve overall keyboard accessibility and usability
This feature should be implemented in a reusable way across the design system.