In edit mode, arrow keys are used for navigation within a field. Users can switch back to navigation mode, for example, by pressing Enter or by tabbing to another field. However, this model cannot be used in form-based applications if the form contains components that use arrow keys for internal navigation and that do not support a separate edit mode. Such components are non-editable combo boxes and lists. In contrast, Motif uses a model that employs two levels of external navigation.
Some components form tab groups, such as, collections of buttons or sets of radio buttons.
This can be confusing unless users have a clear model which components form tab groups. It is better to disable the second level of navigation by making each individual component a tab group. If focus is moved to a component outside the visible area of a scroll area, the area should scroll accordingly and show the component that has focus. This works fine for internal navigation in text areas or tables. However, most windowing systems have problems with this when moving between components in form-based applications.