Hi Adobe Team,
I am reporting a significant workflow regression in the InDesign Effects Panel (and Properties Panel) that has persisted into the 2026 versions.

The Issue:
In older versions of InDesign, users could click on a Blend Mode (e.g., "Multiply") in the Effects Panel and then use the Up/Down arrow keys to instantly cycle through other modes. The effect was applied immediately to the selected object, allowing for a fast visual preview of all blending options.

Current State:
This functionality is broken.
Clicking a Blend Mode and using arrow keys often moves the object on the canvas instead of changing the selection in the dropdown menu.
The "focus" on the dropdown is lost immediately after selection.
Even when using the Properties Panel (Opacity > Blend Mode), the menu requires constant re-opening, making it impossible to quickly compare different effects.

Why this matters:
This change forces users to manually open the dropdown menu for every single effect they want to try (e.g., 15 clicks to see 15 modes). This is a massive downgrade in UI efficiency for designers.

Please restore the "Sticky Focus" on the Blend Mode dropdown menu in the Effects Panel, allowing the arrow keys to cycle through options with an instant live preview, as it functioned in legacy versions.

Thanks a lot, Pavla.