Stop Confusing Grids with Tables! Here’s What You Need to Know
Tables and grids can both look like rows and columns, but they behave very differently , especially when interactive widgets (like buttons, checkboxes, or dropdowns) are involved. Tables Are Not Widgets A table is meant to present information — like text, numbers, or static content. But sometimes it is observed that, tables include interactive widgets inside them, such as: A checkbox in each row to select items A dropdown to change status A button to take action In such cases: Each widget becomes a separate tab stop in the keyboard tab order. This makes the tab sequence very long for keyboard users, especially screen reader users. Example : If a table has 50 rows, each with a checkbox, the user has to press Tab 50 times just to skip through checkboxes. Grids as Composite Widgets A grid is considered a composite widget — meaning it is one large interactive component that contains many smaller interactive elements inside. Wh...